S'porean woman killed 2-month-old daughter after getting upset she soiled herself, husband lied to cover up previous abuse

After becoming upset with her two-month-old daughter for soiling herself on Jan. 8, 2023, Singaporean woman Sim Liang Xiu threw the baby into her cot, inflicting blunt force trauma to her head.

However, when her husband, Peh Wei Jian, discovered the baby was unresponsive after giving her a bath the next day, the couple decided to lie to the authorities and healthcare providers that it was Peh who had "accidentally dropped" the baby before bathing her.

According to court documents seen by Mothership, the couple wanted to cover up their previous physical abuse of the baby.

While Sim had slapped the baby, forcefully pulled her left arm, and bit her left forearm, Peh had slapped the baby's cheeks, forcefully pushed the tip of a milk bottle into her mouth, threw her into her cot, and pinched her left calf.

Although the baby was conveyed to a hospital for treatment, she passed away due to her head injury five days later on Jan. 13, 2023.

Sim and Peh were arrested on Jan. 12, 2023, and both were sentenced to jail on Apr. 2, 2025.

Sim first claimed baby became unresponsive after falling from bed

Court documents stated that Sim and Peh called for an ambulance for their daughter, Zabelle Peh Yu Xuan, on Jan. 9, 2023.

Zabelle, who was born on Nov. 6, 2022, was only slightly over two months old at the time of her death.

When paramedics arrived at around 9:16am and found out that Zabelle was in asystole cardiac arrest, they performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on her.

At the time, Sim told paramedics that Zabelle had become unresponsive after falling from a bed.

Zabelle was subsequently conveyed to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital for treatment at around 9:36am.

Peh claimed he 'accidentally dropped' baby

According to a report issued by Khoo Teck Puat Hospital on Jan. 26, 2023, there were dried blood notes over Zabelle's nostrils, and she suffered from a deformity in her left humerus, which was likely an old injury.

The report also noted Peh as saying that he had "accidentally dropped" Zabelle in the shower before bathing her.

Peh also claimed that she fell face down and appeared normal initially but started to take deep breaths and was possibly gasping at around 8:55am.

Zabelle was then transferred to KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) for further management.

Baby found to have sustained multiple injuries

A report issued by KKH on Feb. 8, 2023 revealed that Zabelle sustained multiple injuries, including a healed fracture of a left rib and extensive changes in brain tissue suggestive of acute chronic injury.

She also showed no response to stimuli and loss of basic brainstem reflexes since her arrival at KKH's Children's Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Despite undergoing treatment and surgery, Zabelle showed no signs of recovery and her condition was deemed consistent with irreversible and devastating brain damage.

After spending five days at the hospital, Zabelle was pronounced brain dead at 2:38pm on Jan. 13, 2023.

The KKH report also noted that Peh and Sim had claimed that she had fallen from a height of around 1m at around 8:30am on Jan. 9, 2023.

They further claimed that Peh was holding Zabelle at waist level and bathing her before dropping her headfirst onto the ground.

Texted each other about abuse of baby

Besides revealing Sim and Peh's plan to deceive others about Zabelle's cause of death, investigations also indicated that the couple had ill-treated Zabelle multiple times and in various ways since her birth.

The couple were also found to have messaged each other about their abuse of Zabelle, and Peh, who knew about Sim's treatment of their daughter, did not stop the abuse or protect Zabelle from Sim.

In one of their conversations over text, Peh told Sim, "[W]e don't beat or bite her anymore le bb", to which Sim replied, "Very naughty keep crying. Damn pek cek (frustrated). She diam diam (quiet) i ok. Everyday keep crying."

In response, Peh said, "If we keep like that beat her or what, sure one day we go police station".

Couple underwent psychiatric assessments

After their arrest, both Sim and Peh underwent psychiatric assessments.

For Sim, a senior consultant and psychiatrist at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) diagnosed her with post-natal depression, which is said to have contributed to the commission of her offence.

She was also assessed to be in "an abnormality of mind", which significantly impaired her mental responsibility for the offence.

For Peh, a consultant and psychiatrist at IMH noted that he was diagnosed in 2009 with mental disabilities.

However, based on an assessment in 2023, Peh's clinic presentation did not indicate any presence of mental illness, and he does not meet the international criteria for intellectual disability.

Both jailed

On Apr. 2, 2025, Sim, now 31, was sentenced to eight years' jail after pleading guilty to one charge of culpable homicide, reported The Straits Times.

Peh, now 34, was sentenced to seven years' jail after pleading guilty to one charge of failing to take reasonable steps to protect Zabelle from Sim's abuse.

Another charge of child abuse was taken into consideration for Sim's and Peh's sentencing.

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