The baby who loved hugs: Grandmother’s heartbreaking memories of Trevor Neo, abused to death by his parents in Singapore

The tragic case of eight-month-old Trevor Neo in Singapore reveals a harrowing narrative of abuse hidden behind closed doors, culminating in the infant's death due to sustained violence by his parents, Neo Jia Ming and Chloe Gan Ci Xuan.

Despite outward appearances of a normal, if tired, young family, court revelations exposed repeated and severe abuse against both Trevor and his mother.

Trevor's grandmother and aunt, who cherished the memory of a cheerful and affectionate baby, expressed shock and disbelief as the abusers, Neo and Gan, were sentenced to lengthy prison terms, shattering the family's perception of them as responsible parents.

SINGAPORE, Oct 21 — Little Trevor Neo was a cheerful baby who rarely cried, loved being carried and always wanted someone to hug him.

But behind closed doors, the eight-month-old was being shaken, smothered and beaten by the very parents he depended on for love and protection.

Now, as his parents face lengthy jail terms over his death, Trevor’s grandmother and aunt have recalled the smiling little boy they adored — and their disbelief that his father could have subjected him to such cruelty.

“He always wanted people to hug him,” his aunt told The Straits Times after the couple were sentenced at Singapore’s High Court today.

Trevor’s father, Neo Jia Ming, 27, was jailed for 16 years, while his mother, Chloe Gan Ci Xuan, 23, received 15 years and three months over the abuse and death of their son in September 2024.

The couple had pleaded guilty on October 12 to charges arising from the abuse. Neo also admitted to repeatedly assaulting his wife.

For his family, the revelations have shattered their image of a hardworking young father who juggled jobs to support his wife and child.

“It doesn’t seem like what my brother would do. Till now, I’m still not able to accept it,” Neo’s 29-year-old sister said.

His 64-year-old mother, who gave her surname as Koh, said she had encouraged him to marry Gan after learning of her pregnancy because she believed he should take responsibility for the baby.

The young couple even researched parenting before Trevor’s arrival.

Neo worked as a food delivery rider and pet groomer, while Gan was also a pet groomer before leaving her job after giving birth.

His elder sister occasionally helped with milk powder, diapers and money, but otherwise believed her brother was managing his responsibilities.

At family dinners, neither parent gave any indication that anything was seriously wrong.

“They only said they were tired,” Koh recalled.

Koh, who works at a coffeeshop in Hougang, said she rarely saw her grandson because of conflicting work schedules.

But her memories of Trevor remain vivid.

“He was very obedient and always smiled. He never cried. He had a face like a ‘big biscuit’,” she said in Mandarin.

Koh said she had bathed Trevor a few weeks before his death and noticed neither bruises nor anything unusual about his condition.

The family also had no reason to suspect Gan was being abused.

The couple appeared inseparable, with Neo’s sister recalling that her brother doted on his wife and even saved money to leave Trevor with a nanny so they could take short holidays together.

But court documents revealed a very different relationship.

Between February and August 2024, Neo repeatedly assaulted Gan, including punching her at an arcade because she had played a game without him.

On another occasion, he punched her at a bus stop after she accidentally led them onto the wrong bus.

Trevor, meanwhile, endured repeated abuse, with his parents shaking him and covering his mouth and nose to stop him from crying.

Gan struck the baby on numerous occasions, while Neo slapped his son, dug his fingers into the child’s mouth and hit him.

He also repeatedly pinched Trevor’s fingers to provoke a reaction, which he found amusing.

The couple exchanged messages discussing the abuse and even joked about the possibility that shaking the baby could cause brain damage.

The violence culminated on September 1, 2024, when Gan smothered Trevor, struck him in the face and placed him face down on a mattress.

The infant was pronounced dead at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital shortly after midnight on September 2. Both parents were arrested after hospital staff alerted police.

For Trevor’s grandmother, what remains is the memory of a smiling little boy who loved being carried.

“He was very obedient and always smiled. He never cried. He had a face like a ‘big biscuit’,” she recalled.

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新加坡八个月大的 Trevor Neo 的悲惨遭遇揭露了隐藏在紧闭的门后的令人痛心的虐待故事，最终导致这名婴儿因其父母 Neo Jia Ming 和 Chloe Gan Ci Xuan 的持续暴力而死亡。

尽管表面上看，这是一个正常的年轻家庭，虽然有些疲惫，但法庭的调查揭露了特雷弗和他的母亲都遭受了反复严重的虐待。

特雷弗的祖母和姑姑珍藏着这个快乐、充满爱心的婴儿的记忆，当施虐者尼奥和甘被判处长期监禁时，她们感到震惊和难以置信，这彻底粉碎了家人对他们作为负责任父母的看法。

新加坡，10 月 21 日讯——小 Trevor Neo 是个快乐的婴儿，很少哭闹，喜欢被人抱着，总是希望有人拥抱他。

但在紧闭的房门后，这个八个月大的婴儿却被他赖以给予爱和保护的父母摇晃、捂住口鼻和殴打。

如今，特雷弗的父母因他的死面临长期监禁，特雷弗的祖母和姑姑回忆起她们深爱的那个爱笑的小男孩，以及她们无法相信他的父亲竟然会对他如此残忍。

“他总是希望人们拥抱他，”这对夫妇今天在新加坡高等法院被判刑后，他的姑姑告诉《海峡时报》。

特雷弗的父亲，27岁的梁嘉明，因虐待致其子于2024年9月死亡而被判处16年监禁，他的母亲，23岁的克洛伊·甘慈璇，被判处15年零3个月监禁。

这对夫妇于10月12日对虐待指控认罪。尼奥还承认多次殴打妻子。

对于他的家人来说，这些爆料彻底打破了他们心中他是一位勤奋工作、身兼数职养家糊口的年轻父亲的形象。

“这不像我哥哥会做的事。直到现在，我仍然无法接受，”Neo 29岁的姐姐说道。

他64岁的母亲，姓许，说在得知自己怀孕后，她鼓励儿子娶甘为妻，因为她认为儿子应该对孩子负责。

这对年轻夫妇甚至在特雷弗出生前就研究过育儿之道。

Neo曾做过外卖员和宠物美容师，而Gan在生孩子后离职前也是一名宠物美容师。

他的姐姐偶尔会帮他买奶粉、尿布和钱，但除此之外，她相信弟弟能够妥善处理自己的责任。

在家庭聚餐上，父母双方都没有表现出任何严重问题的迹象。

Koh回忆说：“他们只说他们累了。”

在后港一家咖啡店工作的 Koh 表示，由于工作时间冲突，她很少见到孙子。

但她对特雷弗的记忆依然鲜明。

“他非常听话，总是面带微笑。他从不哭。他的脸像一块‘大饼干’，”她用普通话说。

科赫说，她在特雷弗去世前几周给他洗过澡，没有发现他身上有瘀伤，也没有发现他身体有任何异常。

家人也没有任何理由怀疑甘某遭受虐待。

这对夫妇形影不离，尼奥的妹妹回忆说，她的哥哥非常疼爱妻子，甚至省钱把特雷弗交给保姆照顾，这样他们就可以一起去短途度假。

但法庭文件揭示了截然不同的关系。

2024 年 2 月至 8 月期间，Neo 多次殴打 Gan，包括在游戏厅殴打她，因为她没有和他一起玩游戏。

还有一次，她不小心带他们上了错误的公交车，他在公交车站打了她一拳。

与此同时，特雷弗遭受了反复的虐待，他的父母摇晃他，捂住他的口鼻不让他哭。

甘多次殴打婴儿，而尼奥则扇儿子耳光，把手指伸进孩子的嘴里打他。

他还反复捏特雷弗的手指来激怒他，他觉得这很有趣。

这对夫妇互发信息讨论虐待婴儿一事，甚至还开玩笑说摇晃婴儿可能会造成脑损伤。

暴力事件在 2024 年 9 月 1 日达到高潮，甘用手捂住特雷弗的脸，打他的脸，然后把他脸朝下放在床垫上。

9月2日凌晨刚过，这名婴儿在KK妇女儿童医院被宣布死亡。医院工作人员报警后，婴儿的父母被逮捕。

对于特雷弗的祖母来说，留下的只有那个喜欢被人抱着、脸上总是挂着笑容的小男孩的记忆。

“他非常听话，总是面带微笑。他从不哭。他的脸就像一块‘大饼干’，”她回忆道。

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