Baby abused to death by parents was not referred to child protection or social services: MSF

Trevor’s parents had agreed to follow a care plan drawn up by the hospital after Trevor was discharged.

Published Oct 22, 2026, 02:07 AM

Updated Oct 22, 2026, 02:07 AM

Trevor Neo, eight months old, died after abuse by his parents. MSF said he was not referred to child protection or social services before his death.

KKH treated Trevor twice in 2024 and followed up after discharge. The hospital said it found no clear safety concerns, so the case was closed.

Neo Jia Ming, 27, and Chloe Gan Ci Xuan, 23, were jailed for 16 years and 15 years three months.

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.

On whether an independent review would be conducted in Trevor’s case, the MSF spokesperson said the infant died before its November 2025 announcement that all child deaths known to social services would be independently reviewed.

This came after the tragic death of Megan Khung, the four-year-old girl who was abused to death by her mother and her ex-partner.

In her case, there were multiple breaches across agencies , including a Protective Service officer who failed to log a call by Megan’s pre-school seeking help and police officers not following processes.

A review panel had flagged 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.”

What happened in hospital

KKH’s Lew gave more details on what happened during Trevor’s two hospital visits before he died.

The first time was on Jan 18, 2024, when he was about a month old. That day, Gan had shaken the infant while Neo was at work, and went back to sleep after Trevor became unconscious.

Later, when Trevor did not respond as she tried to feed him, she exchanged text messages with Neo about the incident.

Neo then brought him to the KKH, which conducted “thorough evaluations” including a brain scan, eye examination and X-rays. The infant was found normal, with no injuries or reported loss of consciousness, said Lew, adding that his parents had agreed to follow the hospital’s care plans.

The second visit was on April 2, 2024. Sometime on or before this date, Neo had put his hand into Trevor’s mouth and dug around until the child bled under his tongue.

After the baby’s nanny noticed the injury and insisted that Trevor be seen by a doctor, Neo and Gan took him to KKH.

KKH’s Lew said the doctor who examined Trevor that day found he was well, with no tear or bleeding under the tongue. The infant was discharged on the same day.

Neo and Gan had mentioned that Trevor liked to suck on his hands and fingers, added Lew.

“His parents sought medical attention promptly, (were) cooperative, and provided accounts consistent with the clinical findings,” she added.

Five months later, on Sept 2, 2024, Trevor was brought to the hospital in an unresponsive state. He died, despite attempts to resuscitate him. Hospital staff alerted the police and the couple were arrested.

Lew said paediatricians and medical social workers carefully evaluate children suspected of being abused. They may work with other specialists based on the child’s situation and injuries.

Cases in which clinical, social and behavioural indicators raise a reasonable concern of harm are referred to the MSF through the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline.

Where there are no child safety concerns, care arrangements and referrals to relevant community and social agencies may be made before discharge.

“The tragic loss of Trevor saddens all of us at KKH. It has fortified our resolve to further strengthen the care and support provided to the families,” said Lew.

The MSF spokesperson noted that Trevor’s parents had attended a marriage preparation programme from May to June 2023, before he was born. They were also offered parenting-related resources.

She said: “Trevor’s death was a tragedy. The primary responsibility for his abuse and death lies with his parents, who pleaded guilty and have been sentenced by the Court for their offences.

“Child protection professionals must often make difficult assessments based on incomplete and evolving information, including information provided by those caring for the child.”

While no child protection system can uncover each concealment or misrepresentation, or spot every case in time, the MSF spokesperson said this does not diminish the collective responsibility to learn from serious cases and continually strengthen how concerns are identified, shared and followed up.

Theresa Tan is the senior social affairs correspondent at The Straits Times. She covers issues that affect families, youth and vulnerable groups.

Christine Tan is a correspondent at The Straits Times reporting on social affairs and issues of justice in Singapore.

Crimes against children/minors

Ministry of Social and Family Development

特雷弗的父母同意在特雷弗出院后，按照医院制定的护理计划进行护理。

发布于 2026 年 10 月 22 日凌晨 2:07

更新于2026年10月22日凌晨2:07

八个月大的特雷弗·尼奥（Trevor Neo）因遭受父母虐待而死亡。无国界医生组织表示，在他去世前，他没有被转介给儿童保护机构或社会服务机构。

2024年，KKH医院对特雷弗进行了两次治疗，并在他出院后进行了随访。医院表示未发现明显的安全隐患，因此结案。

27岁的梁嘉明和23岁的甘慈璇分别被判处16年和15年零3个月有期徒刑。

新加坡——八个月大的婴儿特雷弗·尼奥（Trevor Neo）在遭受父母虐待后死亡，在他去世前，社会及家庭发展部（MSF）的保护服务部门或任何社会服务机构都没有收到关于虐待问题的转介。

2024 年 1 月 18 日至 23 日，这名婴儿因呕吐、饮奶量减少以及被母亲摇晃等问题被送入竹脚妇幼医院 (KKH) 接受治疗。

特雷弗出院后，他的父母同意遵循医院制定的护理计划。

KKH 医疗委员会主席 Eileen Lew 于 10 月 21 日告诉《海峡时报》，医院在 Trevor 出院后继续跟进他的病例，包括协助他的父母获得育儿和儿童发展支持服务。

她补充说：“由于没有其他未决问题，此案最终结案。”

Lew 没有提供护理计划的细节，也没有说明 KKH 在结案前对该病例进行了多长时间的跟进。

无国界医生组织和刘先生是在特雷弗的父母于 10 月 21 日被判刑后，回应《海峡时报》关于特雷弗案件的问题时做出上述表态的。

27岁的Neo Jia Ming被判处16年有期徒刑，23岁的Chloe Gan Ci Xuan被判处15年零3个月有期徒刑。

在特雷弗短暂的一生中，他大部分时间都遭受父母的殴打、摇晃，甚至被捂住口鼻。最终，在2024年9月，他的母亲捂住他的脸，打他的脸，并把他脸朝下按在床垫上，试图阻止他哭喊，导致他窒息而死。

关于是否会对特雷弗的案件进行独立审查，无国界医生组织发言人表示，这名婴儿在无国界医生组织于 2025 年 11 月宣布对所有已知的儿童死亡事件进行独立审查之前就已经去世了。

此前，年仅四岁的梅根·孔不幸去世，她被母亲和前伴侣虐待致死。

就她而言，涉及多个机构的违规行为，包括一名保护服务官员未能记录梅根的幼儿园寻求帮助的电话，以及警察没有遵守程序。

她说，审查小组指出，专业人员需要更好地识别和应对涉及婴幼儿的问题，并在家庭与不同服务机构接触时协调支持。

“这些经验教训已在社会、医疗保健和幼儿教育领域得到分享。”

医院里发生了什么事

KKH 的 Lew 提供了 Trevor 去世前两次住院期间的更多细节。

第一次是在2024年1月18日，当时他大约一个月大。那天，尼奥上班时，甘摇晃了婴儿，特雷弗失去知觉后，甘又回去睡觉了。

后来，当她试图喂特雷弗吃饭时，特雷弗没有反应，于是她就此事与尼奥互发了短信。

随后，Neo将他送往KKH医院，医院对他进行了“全面评估”，包括脑部扫描、眼部检查和X光检查。Lew表示，婴儿一切正常，没有受伤，也没有意识丧失的情况，并补充说，婴儿的父母已同意遵循医院的治疗方案。

第二次探访是在 2024 年 4 月 2 日。在此日期之前或当天，尼奥将手伸进特雷弗的嘴里，四处翻找，直到孩子舌头下出血。

婴儿的保姆发现特雷弗受伤后，坚持要带他去看医生，于是尼奥和甘带他去了KKH医院。

KKH的Lew表示，当天为Trevor检查的医生发现他身体状况良好，舌下没有撕裂或出血。婴儿当天就出院了。

尼奥和甘曾提到特雷弗喜欢吮吸自己的手和手指，卢补充道。

她补充说：“他的父母及时就医，非常配合，并提供的证词与临床检查结果一致。”

五个月后，即2024年9月2日，特雷弗被送往医院时已失去意识。尽管医护人员尽力抢救，他最终还是去世了。医院工作人员报警后，这对夫妇被逮捕。

刘医生表示，儿科医生和医务社工会对疑似遭受虐待的儿童进行仔细评估。他们可能会根据儿童的具体情况和伤情与其他专家合作。

如果临床、社会和行为指标引起人们对伤害的合理担忧，则通过国家反暴力和性骚扰热线将案件转介给无国界医生组织。

如果没有儿童安全问题，可以在出院前做出照护安排，并将相关情况转介给社区和社会机构。

“特雷弗的不幸离世令KKH的所有人都感到悲痛。这更加坚定了我们进一步加强对家属关怀和支持的决心，”刘说道。

无国界医生组织发言人指出，特雷弗的父母在他出生前，曾于2023年5月至6月参加过婚前辅导课程，并获得了育儿方面的资源。

她说：“特雷弗的死是一场悲剧。他的父母应对他的虐待和死亡负主要责任，他们已经认罪，并因其罪行被法院判刑。”

“儿童保护专业人员经常需要根据不完整且不断变化的信息做出艰难的评估，这些信息包括照顾儿童的人提供的信息。”

虽然没有任何儿童保护系统能够发现每一起隐瞒或虚假陈述，或者及时发现每一起案件，但无国界医生组织发言人表示，这并不能减轻我们从严重案件中吸取教训并不断加强对问题的识别、分享和跟进的集体责任。

特蕾莎·谭是《海峡时报》的资深社会事务记者。她主要报道影响家庭、青年和弱势群体的问题。

克里斯汀·谭是《海峡时报》的记者，报道新加坡的社会事务和司法问题。

侵害儿童/未成年人的犯罪

社会及家庭发展部