Couple jailed up to 16 years each for fatal abuse of 8-month-old son

A couple who repeatedly abused their eight-month-old son were sentenced to jail on Wednesday (Oct 21).

Trevor died in September 2024 after suffering months of abuse.

Chloe Gan Ci Xuan, 23, was sentenced to 15 years and three months in prison, while her husband, Neo Jia Ming, 27, received a 16-year jail term for offences linked to the death of their son, Trevor Neo Yu Hin, reported The Straits Times. 

Both parents pleaded guilty to charges involving the death and ill-treatment of their son. 

Neo also admitted to permitting his wife to abuse the infant and committing domestic abuse against her.

Delivering the sentences, Justice Hoo Sheau Peng said the couple's youth and inexperience as first-time parents did not excuse their actions, noting that they had received support from relatives and employed a nanny to help care for the child.

Gan and Neo married in August 2023, after Gan became pregnant earlier that year.

Following Trevor's birth on Dec 9, 2023, Gan initially stayed with her parents and a confinement nanny before moving in with Neo and his uncles.

In February 2024, the couple hired a nanny to care for Trevor on weekdays, while relatives helped look after him during weekends.

Infant suffered repeated abuse before his death 

Despite having support available, the couple repeatedly resorted to physical violence whenever Trevor cried.

Gan learned that shaking the infant vigorously could stop him from crying or cause him to lose consciousness after witnessing Neo do the same.

In May 2024, Gan's mother noticed bruises on the infant's body and warned her daughter to stop hitting him, but she continued with the abuse.

Trevor had previously been taken to hospital on two occasions following incidents of abuse. 

In January 2024, he was hospitalised for about a week after losing consciousness when Gan shook him.

In April, a nanny noticed bleeding beneath his tongue and insisted that he be taken to hospital. Doctors found signs of local trauma and redness beneath the infant's tongue.

Trevor died in early September 2024 after Gan repeatedly smothered him to stop him from crying, while Neo was in the same room playing a game on his phone.

Between 9.30pm and 11.30pm, Gan repeatedly pressed on her son's nose and mouth before turning Trevor face-down and leaving him in that position before going to sleep.

 When Neo discovered that Trevor had turned cold and unresponsive, the couple attempted to resuscitate him before taking him to hospital.

Court rejects father's attempt to minimise responsibility

During sentencing, Neo argued that Gan had carried out the fatal acts and that his own responsibility was considerably lower, according to The Straits Times. 

Justice Hoo rejected the argument that a person who allows a child's death is necessarily less culpable than one who directly causes it.

The court noted that Neo had been the first to shake Trevor to stop him crying and the first to smother him. He had also subjected Gan to abuse.

In determining Gan's sentence, Justice Hoo compared the case with that of Megan Khung, a four-year-old girl who died in February 2020 after prolonged abuse by her mother, Foo Li Ping, and her boyfriend, Wong Shi Xiang.

The judge noted that Trevor was even younger and more vulnerable than Megan, as he was only eight months old and unable to communicate his suffering or seek help.

However, the abuse in Trevor's case lasted for a shorter period, and the harm caused by the earlier assaults was assessed as less severe than in Megan's case.

The court also considered that the couple had attempted to resuscitate Trevor and taken him to hospital after the fatal incident.

Under Singapore law, causing the death of a child carries a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment and a fine or caning. 

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