A Singapore couple have been jailed for more than 15 years each for repeatedly abusing their eight-month-old son, Trevor Neo Yu Hin, before his death in September 2024.The High Court on October 21 sentenced the boy’s father, Neo Jia Ming, 27, to 16 years’ imprisonment and his mother, Chloe Gan Ci Xuan, 23, to 15 years and three months. The couple had pleaded guilty to charges relating to the child’s death and ill-treatment on October 12.Trevor died after Gan smothered him, hit him in the face and turned him face down on a mattress to stop him crying. Neo was in the same room playing a game on his mobile phone and did not intervene, according to court proceedings reported by The Straits Times and Channel NewsAsia. SINGAPORE · HIGH COURTTrevor Neo case: a timeline of warning signsTrevor Neo died at eight months old in September 2024 after months of abuse by his parents. Twice he was taken to hospital before his death. His parents were jailed in October 2026. DEC 2023 SEP 2024 OCT 2026This graphic summarises abuse described in court without graphic detail. Events are as admitted by the parents in their guilty pleas.Date by dateTap a date, or use Next, to move through the case. Hospital Warning sign Death Court and afterDEC 92023JAN 182024MAR 52024APR 22024APR2024MAY2024AUG 22024SEP 12024SEP 22024OCT 122026OCT 212026OCT 222026DEC 9 2023Trevor is bornHe is the first child of Neo Jia Ming, now 27, and Chloe Gan Ci Xuan, now 23, who married in August 2023. In January 2024 the family moves into Neo’s flat in Hougang.SOURCE: COURTNext →JAN 18 2024First hospital admissionAt about one month old, Trevor loses consciousness after his mother shakes him. His father takes him to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH). A brain scan, eye exam and X-rays find no injuries; he is kept for observation until Jan 23. The same day, the couple’s texts make light of the abuse.SOURCE: KKH; COURT← BackNext →MAR 5 2024A cover story is preparedNeo slaps Trevor, leaving bruises on his face. He then texts Gan that, if asked, she should say he accidentally dropped a phone on the baby.SOURCE: COURT← BackNext →APR 2 2024Second hospital visitThe nanny insists Trevor see a doctor after noticing an injury under his tongue, caused by Neo digging his fingers into the baby’s mouth. At KKH, an examination notes redness under the tongue but, KKH says, no tear or bleeding. The parents say he likes to suck his fingers; he is discharged the same day.SOURCE: KKH; COURT← BackNext →APR 2024Abuse escalatesFor about two weeks, Neo covers Trevor’s nose and mouth daily to stop his crying. Gan soon begins doing the same.SOURCE: COURT← BackNext →MAY 2024A grandmother’s warningGan’s mother notices bruises on Trevor and tells her daughter not to hit him again. Gan ignores the warning, and the abuse escalates.SOURCE: COURT← BackNext →AUG 2 2024Hiding the bruisesNeo texts Gan not to hit Trevor until Tuesday, so that bruises would not show at a doctor’s visit.SOURCE: COURT← BackNext →SEP 1 2024The fatal nightFrustrated by his crying, Gan repeatedly presses a blanket and then her hands over Trevor’s face, and leaves him face down in his cot. Neo, in the same room playing a phone game, does not stop her. Around 11:30pm, Neo finds the baby not breathing. He tells Gan to book a taxi rather than call an ambulance.SOURCE: COURT← BackNext →SEP 2 2024Death and arrestTrevor is pronounced dead at KKH at about 12:20am. Hospital staff lodge a police report, and both parents are arrested that morning. The autopsy could not determine a definitive cause of death.SOURCE: COURT← BackNext →OCT 12 2026Guilty pleasGan pleads guilty to causing Trevor’s death, ill-treating him and permitting Neo’s ill-treatment. Neo pleads guilty to allowing his death, ill-treatment and permitting Gan’s ill-treatment, and also admits a domestic abuse charge for assaulting Gan.SOURCE: COURT← BackNext →OCT 21 2026SentencedJustice Hoo Sheau Peng jails Neo for 16 years and Gan for 15 years and 3 months.SOURCE: COURT← BackNext →OCT 22 2026The ministry respondsSingapore’s Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) says Trevor was never referred to child protection or social services before his death, and that an independent panel reviewed the case.SOURCE: MSF← BackStart again ↺The Star and Malay Mail (court reports); KKH and MSF statementsKey court findingsNOT OVERWHELMEDThe defence said the young couple were overwhelmed. The judge noted they had strong family support and a nanny.TEXTS MADE LIGHT OF ITThe couple, especially Neo, joked in texts about the abuse, including how shaking could cause brain damage.THE FATHER’S ROLEWhen Gan asked, “You want the baby to die?”, Neo replied that she should wait for the baby to make noise and try again. The judge called his conduct “reprehensible”.MENTAL HEALTHNeo had no mental illness. Gan may have had an adjustment disorder that contributed slightly, but it did not impair her understanding of the risks.“Notwithstanding their youth and inexperience, the accused persons must be held fully accountable for their cruel acts.”Justice Hoo Sheau Peng, High Court, Oct 21, 2026SENTENCE vs WHAT EACH SIDE SOUGHTNeo Jia Ming, father16 yrs 051015 yrsChloe Gan Ci Xuan, mother15 yrs 3 mths 051015 yrs Defence sought Prosecution sought SentenceThe Star; Malay Mail. Neo’s defence sought 7 years and 7 weeks; Gan’s sought 12 years 6 months to 13 years.What was known before his deathTap each person or agency to see what they saw, and what happened next.KKH, JanKKH, AprThe nannyGrandmotherPolice and MSFWHAT WAS SEENTrevor was brought in after losing consciousness. Scans and X-rays were normal; no injuries were found.WHAT FOLLOWEDHe was kept for observation. KKH says it followed up with parenting and child development support until the case was closed with “no outstanding concerns”.WHAT WAS SEENRedness under the tongue, with no tear or bleeding, according to KKH. The parents said he liked to suck his fingers.WHAT FOLLOWEDHe was discharged the same day. No referral was made.WHAT WAS SEENAn injury under Trevor’s tongue. When she asked Neo what happened, he said he did not know.WHAT FOLLOWEDShe insisted the parents take Trevor to a doctor, which led to the April hospital visit.WHAT WAS SEENBruises on Trevor in May 2024.WHAT FOLLOWEDShe warned her daughter not to hit him again. The court heard the warning was ignored.WHAT WAS SEENNothing on record. Police say they received no report about Trevor before Sept 2, 2024.WHAT FOLLOWEDMSF says there was no referral to its Protective Service or any social service agency before his death.No referral before his death. MSF says its review panel found professionals need to “better recognise and respond to concerns involving infants and young children”. It added: “The primary responsibility for his abuse and death lies with his parents.”MSF and KKH statements, via The Star (Straits Times reporting); court reportsSources: The Star; Malay Mail; Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital statements, via The Star.Express InfoGenIECreated by Aniruddha DharJudge notes couple’s text messages, shedding light on abuseThe Straits Times reported that during sentencing, Justice Hoo Sheau Peng said, “Notwithstanding their youth and inexperience, the accused persons must be held fully accountable for their cruel acts.”The judge said family members and a nanny had supported the couple, rejecting the argument that they were overwhelmed by caring for the baby. The court also heard that they exchanged messages making light of the abuse and its possible consequences.“Yet, in an exchange of text messages on Jan 18, 2024, the couple, especially Neo, made light of their physical abuse of Trevor and the potential detrimental consequences to Trevor. They continued with the abuse thereafter,” the judge said. The judge further said that while it was ultimately Gan who committed the fatal acts, Neo, who was the older adult in the marriage, was aware of the significant risk posed to the baby.“In Neo’s completely self-centred way, he simply did not wish to be inconvenienced by having to care for Trevor. That night, he continued to play games on his mobile phone and offered no assistance to Gan,” she said.Story continues below this adThe judge added, “Not only did he fail to intervene when he had every opportunity to do so, but he also encouraged Gan to ‘wait for the baby to make noise first, then you try again’. His conduct was reprehensible.”Even though Neo remarked that his overall culpability was far lower than Gan’s, the judge said it is not a given that one who allows the death of a child is far less culpable than one who causes it. Neo was the first to shake Trevor to stop him from crying, and the first to smother him. He also subjected Gan to abuse, the judge said.Parental abuseAfter finding that she was pregnant in April 2023, Gan moved out of her parents’ house to live with Neo. They got married in August that year, and Trevor was born on December 9, 2023.With the help of a nanny, Gan stayed at her parents’ house and took care of Trevor after being discharged. Neo stayed there for two weeks.Story continues below this adIn January 2024, the couple moved back to Neo’s flat, and the nanny worked on weekdays while relatives helped the couple on weekends. Trevor was frequently subjected to abuse, including being shaken, with his mouth and nose covered to stop his cries. Alarmingly, Neo pinched Trevor’s fingers to provoke a reaction from the baby, which he found funny.Text messages between them mentioned the abuse, and they had joked about how the shaking could cause brain damage. For a span of two weeks in April 2024, Neo continued to abuse Trevor and Gan followed suit.What happened during hospital visitsThe Star reported that Trevor 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. From January 18 to 23, 2024, Trevor was admitted to the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital for vomiting, drinking less milk and issues about being shaken by his mother.The MSF told The Star that an independent review panel was set up for Trevor’s case to identify lessons and suggest areas of improvement for the child protection system.Story continues below this adKH’s medical board chairman Eileen Lew narrated to The Straits Times about Trevor’s two hospital visits before he died.ALSO READ | ‘Empty stomach’: Postmortem of Keralam toddler raises hard questionsOne month after he was born, on January 18, 2024, Trevor was brought to the hospital after he fell unconscious. Gan had shaken Trevor and went back to sleep after Trevor became unconscious. Neo was at work and received messages from Gan, who tried to feed him.As Neo brought him to the hospital, “thorough evaluations”, including a brain scan, eye examination and X-rays, were done. Trevor was found normal, with no injuries.The second time, on April 2, 2024, *Neo had put his hand into Trevor’s mouth*, and the child had bleeding under his tongue. Upon the insistence of his nanny, Trevor was brought to the hospital, and the doctor found he was well and discharged him on the same day.Story continues below this adAfter five months, on September 2, 2024, Trevor was brought to the hospital in an unresponsive condition, and despite attempts to resuscitate him, they could not save him. Following a police complaint lodged by the hospital staff, the couple was arrested.