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

Trevor Neo Yu Hin was abused by his parents from when he was just over a month old and eventually died when he was eight months old.

The child died at the age of eight months after months of regular abuse from his parents. (File photo: iStock)

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Warning: This report contains distressing details of abuse

SINGAPORE: Over almost his entire life, a baby was regularly abused by his parents, who smothered or shook him to stop him from crying.

He would eventually die when he was eight months old when his mother smothered and hit him before flipping him on his face.

His father did not want to incur ambulance costs so they took a taxi to hospital instead.

The parents, Chloe Gan Ci Xuan, 23, and Neo Jia Ming, 27, pleaded guilty on Monday (Oct 12) to various charges linked to the death of their son , Trevor Neo Yu Hin.

These include causing or allowing the death of a child, ill-treatment of a child and permitting the ill-treatment of a child.

They had married in August 2023, after Gan got pregnant with Trevor around April 2023. He was the couple's first child.

Gan moved out of her parents' house to stay with Neo, and she gave birth to Trevor on Dec 9, 2023.

She then moved back in with her parents, where she looked after Trevor with a confinement nanny.

After the confinement period ended in January 2024, Gan took Trevor back with her to live with her husband. They shared a flat with Neo's uncles.

From February 2024, the couple hired a nanny who cared for Trevor during the day on weekdays. Other relatives helped look after him on weekends.

Soon after moving back in with her husband, Gan realised she could make her child stop crying or faint by shaking him vigorously.

She had earlier seen her husband do this. Thereafter, the couple shook Trevor frequently to stop his cries.

In January 2024, Trevor was hospitalised for about a week after he lost consciousness following Gan shaking him.

Between April and August 2024, Gan assaulted her son by hitting his hand, chest, thigh and buttocks, leaving bruises.

She was frustrated that he was crying or would not sleep. Neo witnessed many of these episodes and did not intervene.

In May 2024, Gan's mother noticed bruises on the child and warned her daughter to stop hitting the infant.

Around April 2024, when Trevor was about five months old, Neo began covering Trevor's nose and mouth whenever he cried.

Trevor would then lose consciousness and stop crying.

Neo knew he was smothering the baby, but claimed this was the only way to put him to sleep.

He did this regularly, and his wife began following suit.

Initially, she covered his face with a blanket to muffle his cries, but when he became strong enough to pull it away, she began covering his nose and mouth with her hands and pressing down until he fainted.

The couple also abused the baby in other ways, such as by slapping his face forcefully, squeezing him so hard that his skin turned purple and hitting him.

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

To stop him, Neo put his hand into the baby's mouth and dug around, causing bleeding under his tongue.

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

The couple thus took the baby 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 admitted to Gan what he had done.

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 phones in their room while Trevor was in his cot.

When Trevor cried, Gan felt frustrated as 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.

Gan 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 used one hand to pound down upon her other hand, which was covering the baby's face, with such 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 the baby.

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

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

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

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

Neo then told Gan to call a taxi instead of an ambulance as he did not want to incur the costs of summoning the latter, since it was obvious to him that the baby was dead.

On the way to KKH, Neo told Gan 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 additional charges related to his abuse of Gan 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 sent to someone saying she intended to divorce him.

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.

A preliminary autopsy report stated Trevor's cause of death as cardiorespiratory failure pending further investigations.

However, the final cause of death was unascertained as 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.

She also had significant stressors such as work and financial difficulties. Gan also said she had negative emotions and felt frustrated and stressed in caring for Trevor, especially when she could not stop him from crying.

Gan was also physically assaulted by her husband, which would be an additional stressor.

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

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

The hearing continues.

Gan 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 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, fined up to S$40,000 (US$31,200), or both.

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

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Trevor Neo Yu Hin 从出生一个多月起就遭到父母虐待，最终在八个月大时去世。

这名儿童在遭受父母数月虐待后，于八个月大时夭折。（图片来源：iStock）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

警告：本报告包含令人不安的虐待细节。

新加坡：一名婴儿在其几乎整个生命中都经常遭受父母虐待，父母会捂住他的口鼻或摇晃他，以阻止他哭泣。

他最终在八个月大的时候去世了，当时他的母亲捂住他的口鼻，殴打他，然后把他翻了个身，让他脸朝下摔在地上。

他父亲不想承担救护车费用，所以他们改乘出租车去了医院。

父母，23 岁的 Chloe Gan Ci Xuan 和 27 岁的 Neo Jia Ming，于周一（10 月 12 日）对与儿子 Trevor Neo Yu Hin 的死亡有关的各项指控认罪。

这些行为包括导致或允许儿童死亡、虐待儿童以及允许虐待儿童。

他们在 2023 年 8 月结婚，此前 Gan 在 2023 年 4 月左右怀上了 Trevor。他是这对夫妇的第一个孩子。

甘搬出父母家去和尼奥一起生活，并于 2023 年 12 月 9 日生下了特雷弗。

之后她搬回父母家，并雇佣了月嫂照顾特雷弗。

2024年1月隔离期结束后，甘带着特雷弗回到丈夫身边居住。他们和尼奥的叔叔们合租一套公寓。

从2024年2月起，这对夫妇雇佣了一名保姆，负责工作日白天照顾特雷弗。周末则由其他亲戚帮忙照看他。

搬回和丈夫一起住不久，甘女士就发现，只要用力摇晃孩子，就能让他停止哭泣或昏厥。

她之前就见过丈夫这样做。此后，这对夫妇经常摇晃特雷弗，让他停止哭泣。

2024 年 1 月，特雷弗在被甘摇晃后失去意识，住院约一周。

2024 年 4 月至 8 月期间，甘某殴打儿子，击打其手、胸部、大腿和臀部，导致其身上出现瘀伤。

她很沮丧，因为他总是哭闹或睡不着觉。尼奥目睹了许多这样的情况，却没有干预。

2024 年 5 月，甘的母亲发现孩子身上有瘀伤，并警告女儿不要再打孩子。

大约在 2024 年 4 月，特雷弗大约五个月大的时候，每当特雷弗哭的时候，尼奥就开始捂住特雷弗的鼻子和嘴巴。

然后特雷弗就会失去意识，停止哭泣。

尼奥明知自己正在闷死婴儿，但他声称这是让他入睡的唯一方法。

他经常这样做，他的妻子也开始效仿。

起初，她用毯子盖住他的脸，以阻止他的哭喊，但当他力气大到能把毯子扯开时，她开始用手捂住他的口鼻，用力按压，直到他昏过去。

这对夫妇还以其他方式虐待婴儿，例如用力扇他的脸，用力挤压他，以至于他的皮肤变紫，以及殴打他。

2024 年 4 月 2 日左右，尼奥带着特雷弗去保姆家，这时婴儿开始哭闹。

为了阻止他，尼奥把手伸进婴儿的嘴里翻找，导致婴儿舌头下出血。

保姆后来发现婴儿流血，坚持要带婴儿去看医生。

于是，这对夫妇于 2024 年 4 月 2 日将婴儿带到了竹脚妇幼医院 (KKH)。

医生发现孩子舌头下方有局部创伤，伴有红肿。

这对夫妇带着孩子离开了医院，Neo向Gan坦白了自己的所作所为。

2024 年 9 月 1 日，这对夫妇外出吃完晚饭后回家，而 Neo 的叔叔们则照顾 Trevor。

特雷弗躺在婴儿床上时，这对夫妇正在房间里玩手机。

特雷弗哭闹时，甘恩感到很烦躁，因为她睡不着。她用毯子捂住儿子的脸将近一分钟。

男孩挣扎了一会儿才慢下来，但当他母亲抬起手时，他又开始哭了起来。

甘重复了上述动作，直到她感到手臂颤抖。

当她反复捂住婴儿的口鼻时，她的丈夫看着她问她：“怎么回事？你想让孩子死吗？”

他告诉她，如果出了什么事，他们都会坐牢。

甘回答说：“等宝宝先发出声音，然后再试一次。”

特雷弗再次哭了起来，甘把毯子盖在他的脸上，用手用力按压。

她用一只手猛击另一只捂着婴儿脸的手，力道之大，让她感觉手臂上的力气都消失了。

然而，特雷弗依然哭泣不止。

甘随后把他翻了个身，让他脸朝下躺着。他停止了哭泣，甘也睡着了。

2024年9月1日晚上11点30分左右，Neo玩完手机游戏后去查看宝宝的情况。

他意识到婴儿没有呼吸，而且他的双手冰冷。

他叫醒了甘，让她在他去洗手间的时候去看看特雷弗。

甘发现特雷弗没有反应，一只眼睛睁着，嘴唇发紫。

这对夫妇试图对婴儿进行心肺复苏，但没有成功。

尼奥告诉甘，让他叫出租车而不是救护车，因为他不想承担叫救护车的费用，因为他很清楚婴儿已经死了。

在去KKH的路上，Neo叮嘱Gan保持沉默，什么都不要说。他说，如果什么事都没发生，警察也不介入，他们就可以继续过日子，不用再为钱发愁了。

2024年9月2日凌晨12点20分左右，特雷弗在KKH医院被宣布死亡。当天上午，警方逮捕了他的父母。

Neo还承认了与他在2024年2月至8月期间虐待Gan有关的额外指控。

他曾因街机游戏殴打她，在另一起事件中，他因麦片问题打了她头部 10 多次。

他还因为看到妻子发给别人的短信说她打算和他离婚而殴打了妻子。

这对夫妇于 2024 年 9 月被起诉。此前，一个审查小组发现，在处理另一起致命虐童案件的过程中，相关机构存在疏漏和不足。

梅根·孔 (Megan Khung) 在被母亲和母亲的男友虐待一年多后，于 2020 年 2 月去世，年仅四岁。

初步尸检报告显示，特雷弗的死因是心肺衰竭，具体死因尚待进一步调查。

然而，由于没有解剖学发现或损伤指向确切的死因，最终的死因尚未确定。

进一步的尸检报告指出，捂住孩子的嘴可能会阻塞他的鼻孔和嘴巴，让他脸朝下躺着也会造成阻塞的风险。

这两种情况都可能导致窒息和呼吸困难，最终造成致命后果。

甘女士在心理卫生学院 (IMH) 接受了检查，结果显示她在 2024 年 3 月或 4 月左右没有患上任何产后精神疾病。

她在犯罪时可能患有适应障碍，这可能与犯罪行为有轻微的关联。

这项评估是基于甘的母亲提供的信息，这些信息表明甘在怀孕和产后期间出现了与情绪相关的症状。

她还面临着工作和经济困难等重大压力。甘女士还表示，照顾特雷弗让她感到沮丧和压力巨大，尤其是在她无法阻止特雷弗哭泣的时候，她也常常感到负面情绪。

甘女士还曾遭受丈夫的身体虐待，这对她来说无疑是雪上加霜。

然而，适应障碍并不会削弱她理解自己所采取行动的风险的能力。

心理健康研究所后来发布的一份澄清报告指出，大多数面临类似压力的人不会像甘女士在照顾特雷弗时那样表现出负面症状和沮丧情绪。

听证会继续进行。

甘的代理律师是 Invictus Law 的 Josephus Tan 先生和 Cory Wong 先生，而 Neo 的辩护律师是 Eugene Thuraisingam Asia 的 Eugene Thuraisingam 先生、Johannes Hadi 先生和 Seraphine Loh 女士。

造成儿童死亡的处罚是最高 20 年监禁并处罚金或鞭刑。

虐待儿童致其死亡的，犯罪者可被判处最高 14 年监禁，罚款最高 4 万新加坡元（3.12 万美元），或两者并罚。

如果未造成死亡，最高刑罚为八年监禁、最高罚款 8000 新元，或两者并罚。

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