‘I didn’t love him’ — Turkish footballer admits to smothering son, 5, to death

Cevher Toktas, a Turkish footballer, has been arrested after he allegedly confessed to smothering Kasim, his five-year-old son, to death in hospital because he “didn’t love him”.

According to UK SUN, Toktas had taken Kasim to Dortcelik Children’s Hospital in Bursa on April 23 with a cough and a high fever, and both were quarantined as they were showing the usual signs of coronavirus.

Later in the day, the 32-year-old former Turkish top-flight footballer called doctors into the boy’s room, saying he was having trouble breathing.

The young boy was subsequently rushed to intensive care but he died less than two hours later at the hospital.

Since breathing difficulties are typical of COVID-19 patients, authorities did not suspect foul play and ruled the boy’s death to be natural.

Kasim was buried the next day, with his mother and other family believing he died from the coronavirus outbreak that has infected 140,000 so far in Turkey.

But 11 days later, Toktas, who played in Turkey’s Super Lig between 2007 and 2009, was said to have told police officers that he smothered the boy with a pillow when they were alone in the hospital room, before calling a doctor into the room.

He was also said to have issued a statement in which he said he had never loved his son and had killed him in hospital.

“I pressed a pillow on my son who was lying on his back. For 15 minutes, I pressed down on the pillow without lifting it up. My son was struggling during that time. After he stopped moving, I lifted the pillow. Then I yelled for doctors to help to draw any suspicions away from me,” the statement read.

“I never loved my younger son after he was born. I don’t know why I don’t love him. The sole reason why I killed him that day is because I didn’t like him. I don’t have any mental issues.”