SINGAPORE – Trevor Neo, the eight-month-old baby who died after being abused by his parents, was not referred to the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s (MSF) Protective Service or any social service agency for abuse concerns before his death.
The infant had been admitted to the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) from Jan 18 to 23, 2024 for vomiting, drinking less milk and concerns about being shaken by his mother.
His parents had agreed to follow a care plan drawn up by the hospital after Trevor was discharged.
KKH’s medical board chairman Eileen Lew told The Straits Times on Oct 21 that the hospital had continued to follow up on Trevor’s case after his discharge, including facilitating access to services for parenting and child development support for his parents.
She added: “With no outstanding concerns, the case was eventually closed.”
Lew did not provide details of the care plan, or indicate how long KKH followed up with the case before closing it.
The MSF and Lew were responding to ST’s questions regarding Trevor’s case after his parents were sentenced on Oct 21.
Neo Jia Ming, 27, was sentenced to 16 years’ jail, while Chloe Gan Ci Xuan, 23, was sentenced to 15 years and three months’ jail.
For most of Trevor’s short life, he was hit, shaken or even had his mouth and nose covered by his parents. He eventually died in September 2024 after his mother smothered him, hit him in the face and turned him face down on the mattress to stop his cries.
The MSF told ST it appointed an independent review panel for Trevor’s case to identify lessons and recommend further improvements to the child protection system.
“The review highlighted the need for professionals to better recognise and respond to concerns involving infants and young children, and to coordinate support when families come into contact with different services,” she said.
These lessons have been shared across the social, healthcare and early childhood sectors, she added.
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