Megan Khung abuse case: Woman jailed 19 years, man jailed 30 years

The mother of 4-year-old Megan Khung, and her boyfriend, who subjected the girl to 13 months of physical and psychological abuse that led to her death at a condominium in Paya Lebar, have been sentenced to jail.

The couple, 29-year-old Foo Li Ping and 38-year-old Wong Shi Xiang, were sentenced to 19 years' and 30 years' jail, respectively, on Apr. 3.

Wong was also handed 17 strokes of the cane.

Did not call ambulance after finding girl dead

In February 2020, the couple found Megan unresponsive.

The girl had passed away from being fatally punched by Wong in the stomach.

Foo and Wong did not call for an ambulance.

Instead, they tried to resuscitate the girl using unconventional methods like plugging two wires with metal chopsticks into a socket as a makeshift defibrillator and blowing drug fumes into her mouth.

Later, the pair left Megan's corpse in the unit for months before incinerating it in a custom-made smoke barrel, with Wong scattering the ashes in the sea.

Foo's lawyers: She was trapped in an abusive relationship

During the hearing, the judge said that recordings made of Megan's humiliation during the months of abuse showed "the absolute depravity of the accused's actions", adding that they also "deprived her of the dignity of a proper death".

Foo's lawyers, Josephus Tan and Cory Wong from Invictus Law, who represented her pro bono, called for a jail sentence of not more than 11 years during her mitigation plea.

They cited letters that Foo wrote in prison claiming that she was "trapped in an abusive relationship" with Wong and that he had turned his anger on her when she did try to stop him.

They also highlighted that in a September 2020 Institute of Mental Health (IMH) report, the doctor opined that Foo likely had an adjustment disorder with depressed mood due to the "abusive relationship" at the time of the offences.

However, the judge did not give any mitigating weight to Foo's claim of an abusive relationship, noting that Wong disputed it and that Foo also abused Megan when Wong was not present.

"Her claims, even if true, do not absolve her of any liability," said the judge, calling Foo's actions a "gross abnegation of parental duties".

Wong's lawyers: He was under the influence of "Ice"

Wong's lawyers argued for Wong to be given 20 to 22 years' jail and 11 strokes of the cane.

Wong's defence lawyer had argued that Wong was under the influence of methamphetamine ("Ice") while disciplining Megan.

However, the judge opined that this had no mitigating weight, deeming it an attempt to "downplay his criminality" and agreeing with the prosecution that Wong's consumption of Ice would be conversely be considered an aggravating factor.

"His actions are not what anyone would have done in the way of discipline — it was abuse," said the judge.

Last month, Foo had pleaded guilty to multiple offences, ranging from child abuse to drug trafficking and consumption.

These were also taken into consideration during sentencing.

On the disposal of Megan's corpse, the judge noted on Apr. 3 that this was "one of the worst cases under this provision", as all traces of the 4-year-old's body were disposed of, to the point that the pathologist could only make predictions regarding the cause of death.

The judge concluded that "the court must, on behalf of society, impose such strict sentences" to send a signal to those entrusted with the duty of caregivers that such actions will not be tolerated but met with the full force of the law.

Background to the case

Megan Khung died in a condominium in Paya Lebar after she was physically and psychologically abused for over 13 months.

Megan's mother, Foo and Wong, who was her boyfriend at the time, caned and hit the child repeatedly, starved her, and humiliated her by shaving her head and drawing on her face.

They also made her eat mucus and food from the dustbin and forced her to sleep in a planter box exposed to the afternoon sun until the child got heatstroke.

The offences were committed from February 2019 onwards in a unit at the Suites@ Guillemard condominium in Paya Lebar rented by the couple.

Foo also withdrew Megan from a preschool that she had been attending since 2017 after staff there noticed signs of abuse.

In February 2020, Megan was fatally punched by Wong in the stomach and left to die while the couple took drugs in the unit.

A regular visitor to the unit, Nouvelle Chua, 35, a friend of the couple, did nothing to stop the abuse but recorded it on her mobile phone on various occasions.

After Megan's death, her corpse was left in the unit for months before Wong and Foo burnt it in a barrel to avoid detection.

Megan's death was discovered after her father Khung Wei Nan, also known as local influencer Simonboy, lodged a police report on Jul. 20, 2020.

Khung said he had last seen his daughter in February 2017 before his incarceration and was concerned about her whereabouts and safety.

Khung, made a police report out of concern for his child on Jul. 20, 2020.

Within three days, police subsequently traced Foo, Wong and Chua and brought them into the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for interviews.

They were arrested on Jul. 24, 2020, in connection with Megan's disappearance.

Drug utensils and a packet of crystal methamphetamine ("Ice") were found in the unit.

Wong's urine was also found in a test to contain Ice.

Wong and Foo were both placed in police custody and were both remanded in prison after being charged with Megan's murder.

Related

Top image from Simon Khung Instagram, Foo Li Ping Instagram, Mothership reader