Bukit Timah canal deaths: Grandma of twin boys says 'in my dreams, I'm still playing with them'

SINGAPORE — The paternal grandmother of the 11-year-old autistic twins killed by their own father, who was struggling with depression, said she still dreams of her grandsons.

The 80-year-old, who was in court on Tuesday (Aug 15) to show support for her son, Xavier Yap Jung Houn — the boys' father — said she still pines for them more than a year after they were killed on Jan 21, 2022.

Tearing up as she spoke to The Straits Times, Xavier Yap's mother, who declined to be named, said: "In my dreams, I'm still playing with my grandsons. We're playing catching — their favourite game. I miss them so much."

The elderly woman, who lives alone, said her son would frequently take the twins along with him when visiting her.

"We spent a lot of time together. They would come to my home and refuse to leave.

"Sometimes, they would even hide their shoes when it was time to go home," she said of her grandsons.

Xavier Yap, 49, was on Tuesday sentenced to 14 years' jail for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

He had earlier admitted to strangling and killing his sons — Aston Yap Kai Shern and Ethan Yap E Chern — in a canal near a playground in Greenridge Crescent, which is close to his condominium in Toh Tuck Road.

He also tried to kill himself, saying he thought he could end his sons' suffering by killing himself and taking them "along with (him)".

The boys, who were diagnosed with global developmental delay and autism spectrum disorder in 2017, were suspected to have autism spectrum disorder since they were two years old.

The court heard that their mother had difficulty accepting her sons' conditions, and the boys were enrolled in Primary 1 in a mainstream school at age nine, while they were still unable to speak.

The twins' grandmother, who was accompanied in court by her daughter, Xavier Yap's older sister, said even though the boys did not say much, they showed that they enjoyed being with her.

"They didn't speak much but loved to swim and play with me. They were my precious grandsons and I loved them," she added.

In a letter written by Xavier Yap, which his lawyers read out in court, he said while he had previously wished for a "quick death", he now wants to live for his mother.

"I promised my dear mother to reveal everything on why I acted the way I did and for what I did on that fateful day and to bravely live for her," he said in the letter.

"My greatest motivation now is to continue with my worthless (life) or whatever is left of (it), as I had promised my elderly mum, and to take care of her."

Xavier Yap said he killed his sons because he believed doing so would take away his wife's burdens, as he had noticed that she was becoming depressed and growing increasingly frustrated because of the boys' conditions.

He also felt that his wife had given up on them.

After killing his sons, he tried to end his own life by stabbing his stomach, chest and back with an ice pick.

On the day of the incident, Xavier Yap initially told the police that he was attacked and claimed someone else had killed the twins. But he later admitted to what he did and was arrested one day after the killings.

In meting out the sentence, Justice Vincent Hoong said: "The sentences cannot in any way compensate for the tragic loss of two innocent young lives.

"One hopes, however, that (Xavier Yap) will use this time to reflect on the irreversible harm he has caused to his family as a result of his misconceived belief that he would be easing the suffering and pain of the victims and of those around him by committing the offences."

ALSO READ: Bukit Timah canal deaths: Man admits to killing twin sons, believing it'd take away wife's burdens

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.