KKH says abused baby had no injuries during admission; MSF says no child protection referral before death

Trevor Neo Yu Hin was brought to KKH twice in the months before he died at eight months old after enduring prolonged abuse by his parents.

KK Women's and Children's Hospital. (Photo: Facebook/KK Women's and Children's Hospital)

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SINGAPORE: KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) said abused baby Trevor Neo Yu Hin was found to have no injuries when he was admitted in January 2024, and that his case was eventually closed with "no outstanding concerns" after follow-up by the hospital.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), in response to CNA's queries, said separately there had been no referral to its Protective Service or to a social service agency before Trevor's death.

Before Trevor was born, his parents had attended a marriage preparation programme from May to June 2023 and were also offered parenting-related resources, the ministry said.

Trevor died in September 2024 at the age of eight months after enduring abuse from his parents , 23-year-old Chloe Gan Ci Xuan and 27-year-old Neo Jia Ming, for most of his life.

He was hospitalised at KKH for about a week for observation from Jan 18 to Jan 23, 2024, when he was just over a month old.

In response to CNA's queries, KKH said Trevor's father had brought him to hospital for reduced milk intake, vomiting and concerns that his mother had shaken him.

Associate Professor Eileen Lew, chairman of KKH's medical board, said the hospital conducted "thorough evaluations", including a brain scan, eye examination and X-rays, during his stay.

"Trevor was found to be normal and there were no injuries," she said, adding that he was conscious and alert, with no reported loss of consciousness.

The baby remained at KKH while care plans were being drawn up, and his parents agreed to follow them before he was discharged on Jan 23, 2024, Assoc Prof Lew said.

The court later heard that Trevor had become unconscious before he was taken to hospital.

Gan had shaken Trevor vigorously after he began crying. When she later tapped his chin to feed him milk, he did not respond, prompting the couple to seek medical attention.

The court also heard that no injuries were found during his hospital stay.

KKH continued to follow up on Trevor's case after his discharge, including by facilitating access to services for parenting and child development support, Assoc Prof Lew said.

"With no outstanding concerns, the case was eventually closed," she said.

Trevor returned to KKH on Apr 2, 2024, after his nanny found bleeding in his mouth and insisted that he see a doctor.

The court heard that Neo had dug around in Trevor's mouth to stop him from crying while on the way to the nanny's house. A doctor at KKH examined Trevor, who was about four months old at the time, and noted local trauma under his tongue with redness.

Assoc Prof Lew told CNA that the doctor found Trevor to be well, with no tear or bleeding under his tongue. He was discharged the same day.

"The parents mentioned that Trevor liked to suck on his hands and fingers," she said, adding that the couple sought medical attention promptly, were cooperative and provided accounts consistent with the clinical findings.

Trevor was brought to KKH unresponsive on Sep 2, 2024, and was pronounced dead despite resuscitation efforts, the hospital said.

The court later heard that Gan had repeatedly smothered Trevor in response to his crying before his death.

His father was in the same room and aware of the acts but was playing a game on his phone.

Gan was sentenced on Oct 21 to 15 years and three months' jail, while Neo was jailed for 16 years.

Among other offences, Gan pleaded guilty to causing Trevor's death, while Neo pleaded guilty to allowing it.

Neo received a longer sentence than Gan as he had one more charge of domestic abuse against Gan, and he did not have the mitigating factor she had of a mental condition.

INDEPENDENT REVIEW PANEL APPOINTED

MSF said it had appointed an independent review panel to examine Trevor's case, given the importance of drawing lessons from his death to strengthen the child protection system.

Trevor died in September 2024, before MSF announced in November 2025 that all child deaths known to social services would be independently reviewed.

The panel was tasked with identifying lessons and recommending further improvements to the child protection ecosystem.

"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," the ministry said.

The lessons have been shared across the social, healthcare and early childhood sectors, MSF added.

MSF as well as its agencies and partners in the child protection ecosystem are committed to continuing to strengthen safeguards, professional practice and systems, the ministry said.

It also pointed to changes made following a separate review into the death of four-year-old Megan Khung in 2020.

From May 1, 2026, only Child Protection Case Management agencies are to carry out safety planning as part of case management, the ministry said.

Describing Trevor's death as a "tragedy", MSF said: "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."

The ministry said child protection professionals often have to make difficult assessments based on incomplete and evolving information, including information provided by those caring for a child.

No child protection system could uncover every concealment or misrepresentation, or detect every case in time, MSF said.

"This does not diminish our collective responsibility to learn from serious cases and continually strengthen how concerns are identified, shared and followed up," it added.

"FORTIFIED" RESOLVE TO STRENGTHEN CARE

Assoc Prof Lew said Trevor's death had saddened everyone at KKH and "fortified" their resolve to further strengthen care and support for families.

She explained that children suspected of being abused are carefully evaluated by paediatricians and medical social workers, who may work with other specialists based on the child’s situation and injuries.

"Their assessments and information available at that time will guide the care and interventions provided to the child."

Assoc Prof Lew added that cases where clinical, social and behavioural indicators raise a reasonable concern of harm are referred to MSF via the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline.

"For cases that do not raise child safety concerns, care arrangements and referrals to relevant community and social agencies may be made before discharge," she said.

"The intervention plans are tailored to each child’s care needs to enable coordinated care and follow-up support."

The hospital remains committed to the safety and well-being of every child in its care, she said.

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Trevor Neo Yu Hin 在八个月大时因长期遭受父母虐待而去世，在他去世前的几个月里，他曾两次被送往 KKH 医院。

竹脚妇幼医院。（图片来源：Facebook/竹脚妇幼医院）

这段音频是由人工智能工具生成的。

新加坡：KK妇女儿童医院（KKH）表示，受虐婴儿Trevor Neo Yu Hin于2024年1月入院时，经检查未发现任何伤情，医院跟进后，最终结案，并表示“没有遗留问题”。

社会及家庭发展部（MSF）在回应CNA的询问时另行表示，在特雷弗去世之前，没有向其保护服务部门或社会服务机构转介过任何案件。

该部门表示，在特雷弗出生之前，他的父母于 2023 年 5 月至 6 月参加了婚前辅导课程，并且还获得了与育儿相关的资源。

特雷弗于 2024 年 9 月去世，年仅八个月大。他一生中大部分时间都遭受父母——23 岁的克洛伊·甘慈璇和 27 岁的梁嘉明——的虐待。

2024 年 1 月 18 日至 1 月 23 日，他刚满一个月时，在 KKH 医院住院观察了大约一周。

针对 CNA 的询问，KKH 表示，特雷弗的父亲带他来医院是因为孩子奶水摄入量减少、呕吐，并且担心他的母亲摇晃过他。

KKH医疗委员会主席、副教授艾琳·刘表示，医院在他住院期间进行了“彻底的评估”，包括脑部扫描、眼部检查和X光检查。

“经检查，特雷弗身体状况正常，没有受伤，”她说道，并补充说他意识清醒，没有出现意识丧失的情况。

刘副教授表示，婴儿在KKH医院接受治疗期间，护理计划正在制定中，他的父母同意遵守这些计划，之后他于2024年1月23日出院。

法庭后来得知，特雷弗在被送往医院之前已经失去意识。

特雷弗开始哭泣后，甘用力摇晃了他。后来，当她轻拍特雷弗的下巴想喂他喝奶时，他没有反应，这促使这对夫妇寻求医疗帮助。

法庭还获悉，他在住院期间未发现任何伤情。

刘副教授表示，特雷弗出院后，KKH 继续跟进他的病例，包括协助他获得育儿和儿童发展支持服务。

“由于没有其他未决问题，此案最终结案了。”她说。

2024 年 4 月 2 日，特雷弗回到了 KKH，此前他的保姆发现他嘴里出血，并坚持要他去看医生。

法庭获悉，在前往保姆家的路上，尼奥为了阻止特雷弗哭泣，曾翻找他的嘴巴。当时大约四个月大的特雷弗在KKH医院接受检查，医生发现他舌头下方有局部创伤，并伴有发红。

刘副教授告诉亚洲新闻台，医生检查后发现特雷弗身体状况良好，舌头下方没有撕裂或出血。他当天就出院了。

“父母提到特雷弗喜欢吮吸自己的手和手指，”她说，并补充说，这对夫妇及时就医，配合治疗，并提供的描述与临床发现一致。

医院方面表示，特雷弗于 2024 年 9 月 2 日被送往 KKH 医院时已无反应，尽管进行了抢救，但最终还是被宣布死亡。

法庭后来得知，甘在特雷弗死前曾多次因特雷弗的哭闹而将其捂死。

他的父亲当时也在同一个房间里，也知道这些事情，但他却在玩手机游戏。

10月21日，甘某被判处15年零3个月监禁，而梁某被判处16年监禁。

除其他罪行外，甘承认造成特雷弗死亡，而尼奥承认允许特雷弗死亡。

由于Neo对Gan多犯了一项家庭暴力罪，而且他没有Gan所具有的精神疾病这一减刑因素，因此Neo的刑期比Gan更长。

独立审查小组已任命

无国界医生组织表示，鉴于从特雷弗的死中吸取教训以加强儿童保护体系的重要性，该组织已任命一个独立审查小组来审查特雷弗的案件。

特雷弗于 2024 年 9 月去世，而无国界医生组织在 2025 年 11 月宣布，所有社会服务机构已知的儿童死亡事件都将进行独立审查。

该小组的任务是总结经验教训，并就儿童保护体系的进一步改进提出建议。

该部门表示：“审查结果凸显了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工作。”

无国界医生组织补充说，这些经验教训已在社会、医疗卫生和幼儿教育领域分享。

无国界医生组织及其在儿童保护生态系统中的机构和合作伙伴致力于继续加强保障措施、专业实践和系统，该部表示。

报告还指出，在对 2020 年 4 岁女孩 Megan Khung 的死亡事件进行单独审查后，做出了一些改变。

该部表示，从 2026 年 5 月 1 日起，只有儿童保护个案管理机构才能将安全计划作为个案管理的一部分进行实施。

无国界医生组织称特雷弗的死是一场“悲剧”，并表示：“他的虐待和死亡的主要责任在于他的父母，他们认罪并已被法院判刑。”

该部门表示，儿童保护专业人员经常需要根据不完整和不断变化的信息做出艰难的评估，包括照顾儿童的人提供的信息。

无国界医生组织表示，没有任何儿童保护系统能够发现每一种隐瞒或虚假陈述，或者及时发现每一个案件。

声明还补充说：“但这并不能减轻我们从严重案例中吸取教训，并不断加强对问题的识别、分享和跟进方式的集体责任。”

加强护理的“强化”决心

刘副教授表示，特雷弗的去世令KKH的每个人都感到悲痛，也“加强”了他们进一步加强对家属的关怀和支持的决心。

她解释说，疑似遭受虐待的儿童将由儿科医生和医务社工进行仔细评估，他们可能会根据儿童的情况和伤情与其他专家合作。

“他们当时的评估和掌握的信息将指导对孩子的护理和干预措施。”

刘副教授补充说，如果临床、社会和行为指标引起合理的伤害担忧，则会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。

“对于不涉及儿童安全问题的案件，可以在出院前做出照护安排，并将案件转介给相关的社区和社会机构，”她说。

“干预计划是根据每个孩子的护理需求量身定制的，以便实现协调的护理和后续支持。”

她表示，医院始终致力于保障每一位在院儿童的安全和福祉。

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