Boy ignored pleas before chemical pram attack

A nine-year-old boy ignored warnings from his friends before throwing caustic cleaning liquid onto a Melbourne mother, her toddler and five-month-old baby, reports say.

A friend of the boy, who has been questioned by police after two young children suffered burns to their faces in yesterday's incident, said she and another child pleaded with him not to shower the woman and her children with the chemical.

"Me and my friend said, 'Don't do it' and when he did it, we felt very sorry," the Herald Sun quoted the young girl as saying.

Her mother apologised to the victims.

"We're sorry this happened to the babies. She's grounded," she said.

Sodium hydroxide, a tile-cleaning agent, was thrown from a raised South Yarra car park onto the unsuspecting woman as she walked her children along Bray St.

Her two-year-old daughter and five-month-old son, who were riding in the pram, suffered superficial burns. A witness reported hearing the children screaming.

"They were just covered in this soapy stuff," Agatha Rao told Nine News.

"They were all red ... they looked burned."

The nine-year-old boy was questioned by police for an hour before being cautioned.

He cannot be charged as he is aged under 10 years.

A Royal Children's Hospital spokesperson said the chemical had not entered the children's eyes and they were released in a satisfactory condition yesterday afternoon.

far out he is 9! that mother better punish him for sure, those poor kids!.

yeh i didnt post it yesterday when it happened. But due to the fact it was a topic of convo last night between lach and i, i figured i would today

hes just lucky those kids werent blinded or something by the chemical. if jake ever did something like that i would be furious

You have to remember he is 9 years old. We don't know if he knew what was in the bottle and that it could cause damage when it has contact with skin. I am sure that his mother and the police will have explained to him what could have happened.

he may not have known what he was throwing on the babies or the damage that could be done. But in saying that he shouldnt have thrown anything on them. Not defending him. I am wondering thought, having a 9 yr old, where were the parents and why was he alone with mates in a car park with that kind of liquide. Or where were the friends parents????

:O

Whoa that poor lady and her kids.