Belgian expat pleads guilty to killing 5-year-old son
Belgium national Philippe Graffart has been convicted for causing the death of his five-year-old son. TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — A Belgian expatriate who killed his five-year-old son was in the midst of divorce proceedings and fighting for the custody of his child when he researched how to suffocate someone and commit suicide in a car crash, a High Court was told on Monday (Aug 1).
Philippe Graffart, 42, was originally charged with murdering his son Keryan Gabriel Cedric Graffart, 5, by suffocating him with a cushion between 9pm and 10.17pm on Oct 5 last year in their unit at D’Leedon Condominium.
He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder on Monday.
According to a psychiatric report, Graffart was suffering from major depressive disorder, which had “substantially impaired his thinking process and judgment” of his acts leading to the death of Keryan.
A High Court was told that earlier that day, Graffart learnt from his divorce lawyer that his wife had filed a personal protection order against him, alleging that he had threatened and harassed her.
Distressed by the contents of his wife’s affidavit, Graffart left work and walked around the Central Business District, contemplating suicide. When he thought of Keryan, he shelved his plans. But he left work early that day as he was unable to concentrate. He had been exchanging emails with his lawyers about his wife’s application, which would be heard in court the following day.
Graffart also wrote a suicide note addressed to his wife, saying he did not have the energy to continue fighting and also did not want their son taken away from him. He also asked for her forgiveness.
That day, Graffart searched online for information on how long it took to suffocate and choke someone. He also searched on whether one could survive a crash at 150kmh.
That night, Graffart used a cushion to press down on Keryan’s head, preventing the child from breathing. When the boy became motionless, Graffart cradled him in his arms and cried. He kissed the boy, said he loved him and “was going to join him”.
Graffart lay Keryan on the bed in a supine position, placed his hands on his stomach, and covered him with a blanket up to his neck. He told his son, “Daddy is going now, he is going to come”, before going on a high-speed drive along Marina Coastal Expressway where he crashed into the walls of the tunnel, intending to end his life.
His suicide attempt was unsuccessful and he was sent to the hospital. That night, he told a police officer over the phone that he had wanted to kill himself in the crash, but sneaked out of hospital before he could be interviewed.
After he went home, he stood at the balcony of his 32nd-floor unit and contemplated leaping off, but decided against it.
He then took a knife from his kitchen and went to the pool area of his condominium with the letter he had written, but could not bear to cut or stab himself. In the end, he took a taxi to Bukit Timah Neighbourhood Police Centre and turned himself in.
Graffart is expected to be sentenced on Aug 22. He faces a maximum of 10 years’ jail, with caning and/or a fine.
