The father who reportedly strangled his twin sons in Greenridge Crescent last year intends on pleading guilty to culpable homicide. He was initially charged with murdering the two boys.
However, his charges were reduced to culpable homicide not amounting to murder in February this year.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao
The reduced charge comes with a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine or caning.
The father, Xavier Yap Jung Houn, 49, reportedly strangled his twin sons on 21 Jan 2022, between 4.25pm and 6.20pm.
Per ST’s coverage at the time, the police reportedly received a call for help at about 6.25pm.
When police arrived, they found his twin sons, both 11, lying motionless in a covered canal at a playground.
A paramedic later pronounced them dead at the scene.
According to ST, the boys are believed to have special needs and attended a school in the Eng Kong estate.
The police arrested Yap the day after, following investigations.
He was later charged with the murder of one of the boys.
A month after he was first charged, he was then slapped with another murder charge for his other son.
On 28 Feb 2023, the court reduced Yap’s charges to two counts of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
This came after the release of a report by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).
Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported that he had a major depressive disorder of moderate severity at the time of the offences.
On Tuesday (18 Apr), the father made known his intention to plead guilty to the reduced charges.
The case will be transferred to the High Court, where a pre-trial conference is slated to take place on 26 May.
If convicted, Yap faces either caning and life imprisonment, or 20 years’ jail and a fine or caning.
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Featured image adapted from Lianhe Zaobao.
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