Thai police charge father with beating his three children to death after wife left him

The police in Thailand have charged a middle-aged man, Songsak Songsaeng, with beating three children to death after his wife left him.

The BBC reports that Songsaeng allegedly murdered his two-year-old daughter and two infant sons, in a fit of rage in the Bang Khen district in Bangkok earlier this month.

The police also told the court on Monday that Songsaeng had earlier killed two other infant sons from a previous marriage.

The charges, according to prosecutors, follow the discovery of the body of a two-year-old girl buried beneath a kitchen floor by neighbours who informed the police.

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They added that the suspect, upon his arrest, claimed to have a history of mental illness, and that he killed his children because he couldn’t tolerate the sound of their crying.

The previous wife was also charged over the death of their two-year-old daughter while his recent ex-wife has been charged over the deaths of the two boys.

“All three have been arrested. Songsak has been married four times. Police were first alerted to a possible case of domestic violence,” the prosecutors said in a statement.

“Songsak’s neighbours reported that his two daughters, aged 12 and four, were being physically abused. Police rescued the two daughters while they were home without their parents.

“The 12-year-old told police that their parents had beaten her two-year-old sister, which led to her death. She also helped police trace the body to where it was buried under a kitchen floor in north-west Thailand last week.

“The police have also charged Songsak with the killing of two other sons he had with his third wife after his DNA matched with that of two infants, whose bodies were unearthed 10 years ago.

“His third wife had said he killed their four infant sons and gave police locations where two were buried,” the statement said.

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