Mother and stepfather charged with murder of 11-year-old girl

The couple allegedly caused the death of the girl between Nov 6 and 10 this year at a Housing Board flat. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

The mother and stepfather of a girl were yesterday charged with the 11-year-old's murder.

The couple, who are both 26 and cannot be named due to a gag order, appeared in a district court via video link, where they were charged with murder with common intention.

The girl, who was the biological daughter of the woman, was pronounced dead on Tuesday afternoon.

Between Nov 6 and Tuesday, the couple had allegedly engaged in actions that caused the girl's death at a flat in Jurong, according to court documents.

In court yesterday, the woman requested to see her three sons, and said that she has joint custody of two of them with her former husband. As one of her children is starting Primary 1 soon, she requested bail so she could pass some relevant documents to her former husband.

The accused man also requested to see his son via video link.

The district judge told them that no bail was available, but said the investigation officer could assist with their requests.

Marriage records show that the couple were married in April this year. The woman's first marriage was in 2013.

The girl was unconscious when taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital by ambulance on Tuesday at around 11am, according to the police. She was pronounced dead at 12.40pm.

The police said they were alerted to the unnatural death around 1.20pm. Following investigations, they arrested the couple over their suspected involvement.

The couple are currently in remand, and will be back in court next Thursday.

If convicted of the murder charge, the couple face the death penalty.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 13, 2020, with the headline Mother and stepfather charged with murder of 11-year-old girl. Subscribe