Soccer player 'smothers' coronavirus-affected son to death

A Turkish soccer player reportedly confessed to killing his five-year-old son afflicted with coronavirus and using the disease as a cover to hush up the offence.

Cevher Toktas, who plays soccer in the Turkish Regional Amateur League, told local police that he smothered his son at a hospital where he was admitted because of suspected coronavirus infection.

He brought his son to a hospital in Turkey on April 23 when the boy was coughing and running a fever.

Medical staff reportedly isolated the father and son together, believing that they both were likely infected.

On the same day, Toktas covered his son’s face with a pillow for 15 minutes while the boy may have already been experiencing respiratory difficulties. He then intimated medical staff that his son was having trouble breathing.

“After he stopped moving, I lifted the pillow,” Toktas told police. “Then I yelled for doctors to help to draw any suspicions away from me.”

The 5-year-old boy died the same day that he was brought to the hospital.

The soccer player was reportedly cleared of the charge on May 4 but later he went to a police station and admitted that he killed his son because he “didn’t love him,” and hasn’t loved him since the day he was born.

Totkas remains in custody and insists that he does not have any mental health issues.