Couple pleads guilty to regularly abusing their baby, who died after being smothered

Sometime before Feb 18, 2024, Neo covered Trevor’s nose and mouth with his hands for about a minute until the baby began vomiting milk and turning purple.

Fearing that the infant was going to die, Neo told his wife what happened and said that he did not want to take care of Trevor anymore, because he was afraid he would kill him.

Neo also told Gan to tell others that the bruises on Trevor’s face were from Neo’s phone falling on it by accident, and not because of his slaps.

Neo also pinched his son’s fingers forcefully 20 to 30 times about two to three times a month, because he found the baby’s reaction funny. His wife was there and did nothing to stop him each time.

Around Apr 2, 2024, Neo was taking Trevor to the nanny’s house when the infant began crying.

To stop him, Neo put his hand into his son’s mouth and dug around, causing bleeding under his tongue.

The nanny later saw the bleeding and insisted that the child be seen by a doctor.

The couple then took their son to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) on Apr 2, 2024.

The doctor noted local trauma under the child’s tongue, with redness.

The couple left the hospital with the child, and Neo told Gan what he had done.

Around early August 2024, he told his wife not to hit the infant at all until after a doctor’s appointment, or the doctor would see the bruises and accuse them of abuse.

FATAL ACTS

On Sep 1, 2024, the couple returned home after going out for dinner while Neo’s uncles looked after Trevor.

The couple were using their mobile phones in their room while Trevor was in his cot.

When Trevor cried, Gan felt frustrated because she could not sleep. She pressed a blanket over her son’s face for close to a minute.

The boy struggled before slowing down, but started crying again when his mother lifted her hand.

Gan then repeated her actions until she felt her arm trembling.

As she was repeatedly smothering her baby, her husband looked at her and asked her: “How? You want the baby to die?”

He told her that if anything happened, they would go to jail.

She responded: “Wait for the baby to make noise first, then you try again.”

After Trevor started crying again, Gan placed the blanket over his face and pressed down hard with her hands.

She pressed with such considerable force that she felt the strength going out from her arms.

However, Trevor continued to cry.

Gan then flipped him over so he lay face down. He stopped crying and Gan went to sleep.

At about 11.30pm on Sep 1, 2024, Neo finished playing a mobile phone game and went to check on his son.

He realised that the infant was not breathing and his hands were cold.

He woke his wife up and asked her to check on Trevor while he went to the toilet.

Gan realised that Trevor was unresponsive, with an eye open and purple lips.

The couple attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the child but to no avail.

Neo then told Gan to call a taxi instead of an ambulance. He did not want to incur the costs of getting an ambulance, since it was obvious to him that their son was dead.

On the way to KKH, Neo told his wife to keep quiet and not say anything. He said that if nothing happened, and the police did not get involved, they could continue living their lives and not worry about money anymore.

Trevor was pronounced dead at about 12.20am on Sep 2, 2024, at KKH. Police officers arrested his parents that same morning.

Neo also pleaded guilty to more charges related to his abuse of his wife between February and August 2024.

He had assaulted her over an arcade game and, in a separate incident, punched her more than 10 times in the head over cereal.

He also assaulted his wife after reading a text she had sent to someone, saying she intended to divorce him.

Court documents detailed how each parent allowed the other to abuse Trevor.

Gan allowed her husband to abuse their child, such as by squeezing his hand until it turned purple and became bruised, or by hitting him.

Neo in turn allowed his wife to shake their son to make him sleep. He was also present in the room during the fatal acts but did not do anything to protect his son, instead focusing on his mobile phone game.

The couple was charged in September 2024. This was before a review panel found lapses and shortcomings among agencies that handled another fatal child abuse case.

Megan Khung had died aged four in February 2020 after being abused for more than a year by her mother and her mother’s boyfriend.

AFTERMATH

A preliminary autopsy report stated that Trevor’s cause of death was cardiorespiratory failure pending further investigations.

However, the final cause of death was unascertained since there were no anatomical findings or injuries pointing to a definitive cause of death.

Further clarificatory autopsy reports stated that covering the mouth of the child could obstruct his nostrils and mouth, and placing him face down also posed a risk of obstruction.

Both situations could lead to a fatal outcome with suffocation and impaired respiration.

Gan was examined at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and was found not to be suffering any postpartum psychiatric disorder around March or April 2024.

She could have been suffering from an adjustment disorder at the time of the offence, which could have had a minor contributory link to the offence.

This assessment was based on information provided by Gan’s mother, which suggested mood-related symptoms during her pregnancy and postpartum period.

Gan had significant stressors such as work and financial difficulties. 

She also said that she had negative emotions and felt frustrated and stressed in caring for her son, especially when she could not stop him from crying.

Her husband also physically assaulted her, which would be another stressor.

However, adjustment disorder would not have impaired her ability to understand the risk of the actions she took.

A report from IMH later stated that most people facing similar stressors would not have presented with the negative symptoms and frustration that Gan had endorsed in caring for Trevor.

She is represented by Mr Josephus Tan and Mr Cory Wong from Invictus Law, while Neo is defended by Mr Eugene Thuraisingam, Mr Johannes Hadi and Ms Seraphine Loh from Eugene Thuraisingam Asia.

The hearing continues.

The penalty for causing the death of a child is a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine or caning.

For ill-treating a child where death is caused, an offender can be jailed for up to 14 years or fined up to S$40,000 (US$31,200), or both.

If death is not caused, the maximum penalties are eight years or a fine of up to S$8,000, or both.

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