Father and son found dead after fall

Yesterday, a woman returned home after a morning residents' committee (RC) singing session to find her husband and son dead.

The woman, who was with her daughter, went into shock and wailed in distress.

Her husband's body was at the foot of Block 605, Clementi West Street 1, while her grown son's body was on the roof of the walkway.

At times, the woman's daughter, the youngest of her three children, believed to be in her 20s, had to restrain her mother, who took out her grief on a policewoman at the scene by hitting the latter.

Her other son, who is the oldest child, was seen comforting his mother.

When The New Paper arrived at the scene around 4.30pm, the police had cordoned off the entire block and police tents covered the bodies.

Residents of the block were escorted in and out of the cordoned area by police officers.

In the evening, as the cordoned area grew larger, residents were requested to produce identification.

Some 30 to 40 onlookers gathered around the cordon.

DISTRAUGHT

One of them, a close friend of the wife for several years, was distraught.

She said the wife had been depressed lately.

The friend added that the wife had problems with her husband for the last five years, and they quarrelled often in their seventh-storey flat.

She said the husband had dementia and had trouble moving about. He also could not control his bladder and bowel movements.

The friend also claimed that the husband had a terrible relationship with the family.

He was said to be violent and abusive, and quarrelled with the children as well.

He would often threaten them, asking them to pay rent or move out.

Close to tears, the friend said she had advised the wife to divorce him many years ago or apply for a personal protection order, but she refused.

Many of those in the crowd had come down from neighbouring blocks after hearing the loud thuds.

Madam Ong Lay Hua, who lives on the 22nd storey, said her maid heard two thuds around 2.30pm, but she did not think much of it at first.

Only when Madam Ong returned from an outing with her family did they realise that two men had fallen from their block. She then called The New Paper hotline.

It is still not clear how the tragedy unfolded, though some residents claimed that the two men were arguing before the fall.

After hearing loud thuds, Madam June, 60, a retiree living on the second storey, looked out of the window and saw a man lying face down, surrounded by blood.

The police have classified the case as unnatural death and are investigating.