Fatal abuse of Megan Khung: A year of missed opportunities to save her life
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Megan Khung died in 2020 after suffering physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her mother and the woman’s boyfriend.
PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS READER
Follow topic:
- In 2019, Megan Khung's pre-school noticed bruises and reported concerns to the Early Childhood Development Agency, but the report lacked details.
- Despite Beyond Social Services' calls to the Child Protective Service's hotline, no thorough probe occurred.
- Megan suffered physical and emotional abuse from her mother and the woman's boyfriend, leading to her death in February 2020.
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SINGAPORE – In February 2019, three-year-old Megan Khung began missing school. A year later, she was dead, after suffering physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her mother and the woman’s boyfriend
On Oct 23, a review panel appointed by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) released a report
It revealed that within a year, there were several lapses at various agencies – including the MSF’s Child Protective Service (CPS) and the police – that ultimately led to the tragedy
Here is a timeline of the case split into three time periods between February 2019 and July 2020, compiled from the review panel’s report and court documents.
1. From injuries discovered to last day at school
February to March 2019
Feb 18 to March 18: Megan, who had attended Healthy Start Child Development Centre regularly since 2017, misses pre-school for a month.
During this period, Megan is cared for by her maternal grandmother, but stays with her mother, Foo Li Ping, and her mother’s boyfriend, Wong Shi Xiang, on some weekends.
Megan Khung stayed with her mother, Foo Li Ping, and her mother’s boyfriend, Wong Shi Xiang (both above), on some weekends between February and March 2019.
PHOTOS: CCXXCXCX/INSTAGRAM, INSTAGRAM
March 19, 2019
Megan returns to school, and staff observe bruises on her body. Foo says the bruises resulted from a cycling accident and her disciplining the girl.
Beyond Social Services (BSS), which runs the pre-school, thinks it is a case of excessive discipline. BSS
develops a temporary care plan
, where Megan stays overnight only at her grandmother’s home.
ST ILLUSTRATION: MIKE M. DIZON
April to May 2019
April 5: Seventeen days after Megan’s bruises are discovered, the pre-school principal submits an incident report to the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA). The report does not mention the full extent of Megan’s injuries, or Foo’s and Wong’s suspected drug activities.
April 9: ECDA acknowledges the report. It does not suspect child abuse.
End-April to end-May: BSS’ attempts to hold a family group conference fail as Foo gives excuses to put it off.
Megan had attended Healthy Start Child Development Centre regularly since 2017.
ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
2. From last day at school to before first police report
September 2019
Sept 5: The last day Megan attends pre-school.
Sept 10 to 20: Megan’s grandmother tells the pre-school on Sept 10 that Megan is unwell and is staying with Foo, breaching the temporary care plan. The older woman says she had video calls with Megan from around Sept 10 to 20 and the girl appeared to be fine.
Sept 17: Foo asks to withdraw Megan from the pre-school.
Sept 20 to 25: BSS calls the CPS hotline twice. CPS advises BSS that Megan’s grandmother can make a police report, but does not log one of the calls. CPS is still unable to locate the second call.
Sept 25 to 27: BSS contacts Heart@Fei Yue, a child protection specialist centre, which tries to convene a meeting with Megan’s family but does not proceed further.
From September 2019: Megan is slapped and punched by Wong and hit with a water hose, among other forms of abuse.
ST ILLUSTRATIONS: MIKE M. DIZON
October 2019 to January 2020
BSS contacts ECDA thrice to ask if Megan is enrolled in another pre-school. ECDA checks its system five times and finds no records of Megan’s enrolment in any other pre-school.
BSS e-mails two police officers for advice. One officer advises making a police report.
BSS advises Megan’s grandmother to make a police report, but she is unwilling to do so as she worries this would make her more estranged from Foo.
ST ILLUSTRATION: MIKE M. DIZON
3. From first police report to arrests
January 2020 to February 2020
Jan 17: BSS accompanies Megan’s grandmother to make the first police report.
A police investigation officer assesses it as a case of child discipline with low safety concerns, and tells her supervisor she will follow up by looking for Foo.
The supervisor does not raise the report for discussion. The officer stops pursuing the matter after trying unsuccessfully to locate Foo and Megan for about two weeks.
ST ILLUSTRATION: MIKE M. DIZON
From January 2020: Foo and Wong starve and hit Megan, and force her to be naked at home because of bloodstains from her wounds. Megan suffers from heatstroke while locked inside a planter box she is forced to sleep in. Wong hits her until her jaw becomes crooked.
On various occasions, Megan Khung was forced to sleep underneath the wooden planks of the planter box without pillows or blankets.
PHOTO: COURT DOCUMENTS
Feb 22, 2020
Megan dies after Wong fatally punches her in the stomach. She had endured a year of abuse.
May 8, 2020
Megan’s body is burned at Paya Ubi Industrial Park in a metal barrel by Foo, Wong and their friend, Nouvelle Chua, who stayed over at their home frequently and witnessed the abuse. The barrel and body are never found.
July 2020
July 20: Megan’s biological father Khung Wei Nan and her grandmother make separate police reports.
July 23: The police arrest Foo and Wong for murder.
July 24: Chua is arrested for child abuse and drug consumption.
ST ILLUSTRATION: MIKE M. DIZON
