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Abuse, death of four-year-old girl: Mum jailed 19 years, boyfriend gets 30 years’ jail, 17 strokes
Megan Khung died after her mother Foo Li Ping's boyfriend Wong Shi Xiang punched her in the stomach.PHOTOS: CCXXCXCX/INSTAGRAM, SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS READER, INSTAGRAM
Selina Lum
UPDATED Apr 03, 2025, 06:56 PM
SINGAPORE – The mother of four-year-old Megan Khung, who was abused and humiliated for more than a year before she died in 2020, was sentenced to 19 years’ jail on April 3.
Foo Li Ping, 29, had pleaded guilty on Feb 28 to one count of child abuse, one count of allowing the death of a child, and one count of intentional disposal of a corpse to impede investigations.
Another count of child abuse was considered in sentencing.
Foo’s then boyfriend, Wong Shi Xiang, 38, was sentenced to 30 years’ jail and 17 strokes of the cane.
He had pleaded guilty to one count of culpable homicide for killing Megan, one count of intentional disposal of a corpse, one count of drug trafficking, and one count of drug consumption.
Another 11 charges, mostly for drug-related offences, were considered in sentencing.
Foo and Wong had caned and slapped Megan, deprived the girl of food and clothes, and made her sleep at the balcony of their rented condominium unit in Paya Lebar.
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Megan was also forced to wear soiled diapers over her head, forced to eat food from the dustbin, and forced to eat her mother’s mucus – acts that were captured on video.
The physical and emotional abuse culminated in her death at the age of four, after Wong punched her in the stomach on Feb 21, 2020.
The couple burned Megan’s body in a custom-made metal barrel on May 8, 2020, after conducting research and experiments on ways to incinerate a corpse.
Megan’s ashes were never recovered.
A friend of the couple, Nouvelle Chua Ruoshi, 35, who abused drugs with them at their unit at Suites @ Guillemard, has also been charged in connection with Megan’s death.
Her case is pending in the State Courts.
For more than a year, Megan Khung was abused by her mother Foo Li Ping and her boyfriend Wong Shi Xiang at their rented condominium unit in Paya Lebar.PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE
Megan’s parents were married in 2015, the year she was born.
Her father, Mr Khung Wei Nan, 37, is a businessman and content creator known as simonboy.
After their relationship broke down, Foo and Megan lived with Foo’s mother.
In January 2019, Foo moved in with Wong at the condo unit he was renting. Megan remained with her grandmother and stayed with the couple on some weekends.
Between late February and early March in 2019, the couple began caning Megan, who was then three years old.
In March 2019, staff at the girl’s pre-school noticed bruises on her face, arms and feet. They told the couple that any abuse would be referred to the Ministry of Social and Family Development.
On Sept 17, 2019, Foo withdrew Megan from the pre-school. The abuse escalated that month, when the girl began living with the couple.
On July 20, 2020, Megan’s father made a police report, saying he was concerned about her whereabouts and safety.
Mr Khung said he last saw her in February 2017, after which he was incarcerated. He has previously been reported as serving a three-year sentence at a drug rehabilitation centre.
Wong Shi Xiang (left) and Foo Li Ping had caned and slapped Megan, and deprived the girl of food and clothes.ST ILLUSTRATION: MANNY FRANCISCO
Following the police report, Foo, Wong and Chua were arrested on July 24, 2020.
They had recorded videos of many abusive acts, some of which were shown in court on Feb 28.
On April 3, before sentencing Foo and Wong, High Court Justice Hoo Sheau Peng recounted the facts to underscore the pair’s “heinous, deplorable and violent conduct”.
Justice Hoo noted that for months, Megan pleaded with her mother for food, clothing and to be able to leave the planter box where she was forced to sleep.
Couple abused 4-year-old girl for more than a year, burned her body after she diedWoman charged with ill-treating stepchildren; husband earlier jailed over daughter’s death
“Her pitiful pleas fell on deaf ears, and a hardened heart; Foo’s reaction was to taunt, mock, and berate Megan,” said the judge.
Justice Hoo noted that by February 2020, Megan was in an emaciated state, and a mere shadow of her previous self.
The judge added that the deliberate recording of Megan in distressing situations showed the pair’s “absolute depravity”.
“For their own sadistic ends, the accused persons robbed Megan of her basic dignity,” said the judge.
Justice Hoo added that after Megan died, Foo and Wong continued to display utter callousness and cruelty. They resorted to unorthodox and harmful methods, including blowing drug fumes into Megan’s mouth, in an attempt to resuscitate her.
And over months, in the interests of self-preservation, they cold-heartedly planned and then deviously carried out the disposal of Megan’s body.
“At the end of her life, they denied Megan of the dignity of a proper laying to rest,” said Justice Hoo.
In sentencing Foo, the judge noted that Megan’s mother deliberately deprived the girl of food to prevent her from defecating around the house, and deliberately deprived her of clothes to prevent her from staining them with blood from her wounds.
Megan was made to sleep in the planter box at the balcony outside the master bedroom.PHOTO: COURT DOCUMENTS
Foo also adamantly refused to give Megan any clothes despite the child’s repeated pleas, and made Megan sleep in the planter box to prevent her from dirtying the flat.
Foo also made Megan eat her mucus in response to Chua’s suggestion to do so. “This manner of abuse was designed to offer Foo and (Chua) sadistic amusement,” said the judge.
Justice Hoo also referred to the prior intervention by the staff at Megan’s pre-school, who had, on more than one occasion, warned Foo not to punish Megan physically.
“Foo acknowledged this. Yet, she proceeded to withdraw Megan from the pre-school, and escalated the abuse.”
Justice Hoo also pointed to the highly sophisticated manner in which the pair had incinerated the corpse, leaving no trace of Megan, and that Foo had done so to cover up how the girl had died at their hands.
The prosecution had on Feb 28 asked for 15 to 20 years’ jail for Foo, saying the case involved a gross abnegation of parental duties.
Abusive dad who killed 5-year-old daughter medically unfit for caning, gets more jail timeMum of toddler whose burnt remains were found in pot sentenced to 14 years' jail
Her lawyers, Mr Josephus Tan and Mr Cory Wong, who are acting pro bono, had argued for not more than 11 years’ jail.
Foo submitted handwritten letters alleging that she was a victim of domestic abuse and expressing regret over her actions.
Justice Hoo said she saw no mitigating value in the letters. Even if it was true that Foo had been abused, it did not absolve her of any liability.
Turning to Wong, the judge said his acts of abuse were “intense, persistent, cruel and humiliating”.
He caned Megan, hit her with objects such as a water hose and a baton, punched her, and taught Foo how to inflict pain on her without leaving visible injuries.
He also forced Megan to eat food from the bin, drew all over her face and paraded her in public, in addition to starving her, depriving her of clothes, and making her sleep in the planter box.
Wong also exploited Megan’s fear of water by spraying water onto her face with the bidet sprayer in the toilet. On one occasion, Wong hit Megan so hard that her jaw became crooked.
21.5 years’ jail, 18 strokes of cane for man who killed 2-year-old daughter and burned her body in potGirl, 5, allegedly confined and murdered by father: 10-minute video of past assault shown in court
His fatal punch in February 2020 was inflicted because he was triggered by his own perception that Megan had failed to respond to his admonishment.
Even after Megan became unresponsive, he prioritised trying to cover up his own offences, and did not bring back a defibrillator he had located for fear of prosecution.
The prosecution had sought a sentence of 28 to 30 years’ jail and 15 to 17 strokes of the cane for Wong.
His lawyer, Mr Vinit Chhabra, sought between 20 and 22 years’ jail with 11 strokes of the cane.
Justice Hoo said she gave no weight to the claim in Wong’s mitigation plea that he was under the influence of methamphetamine and was merely trying to discipline Megan. Wong’s consumption of drugs would, if anything, be aggravating, she noted.
Justice Hoo concluded by saying that these are heavy sentences.
“To reiterate, when parents or caregivers abuse their children in ways which torment them physically, mentally and emotionally, the court must, on behalf of society, impose stiff punishment reflecting the disapprobation of such conduct,” she said.
Both Foo and Wong looked expressionless as their sentences were read out.
Foo Li Ping was allowed to talk to her mother and other relatives after the court session ended.ST ILLUSTRATION: MANNY FRANCISCO
Foo was allowed to talk to her mother and other relatives after the court session ended. As they held hands, Foo cried and apologised to her mother in Mandarin.
Her mother told her to take care of herself and be a good person.
“I will wait for you to be released from prison,” her mother said tearfully.
Abuse, death of four-year-old girl: Mum jailed 19 years, boyfriend gets 30 years’ jail, 17 strokes
Megan Khung died after her mother Foo Li Ping's boyfriend Wong Shi Xiang punched her in the stomach.PHOTOS: CCXXCXCX/INSTAGRAM, SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS READER, INSTAGRAM
Selina Lum
UPDATED Apr 03, 2025, 06:56 PM
SINGAPORE – The mother of four-year-old Megan Khung, who was abused and humiliated for more than a year before she died in 2020, was sentenced to 19 years’ jail on April 3.
Foo Li Ping, 29, had pleaded guilty on Feb 28 to one count of child abuse, one count of allowing the death of a child, and one count of intentional disposal of a corpse to impede investigations.
Another count of child abuse was considered in sentencing.
Foo’s then boyfriend, Wong Shi Xiang, 38, was sentenced to 30 years’ jail and 17 strokes of the cane.
He had pleaded guilty to one count of culpable homicide for killing Megan, one count of intentional disposal of a corpse, one count of drug trafficking, and one count of drug consumption.
Another 11 charges, mostly for drug-related offences, were considered in sentencing.
Foo and Wong had caned and slapped Megan, deprived the girl of food and clothes, and made her sleep at the balcony of their rented condominium unit in Paya Lebar.
Get key highlights in the lead-up to Polling Day. You will also receive the ST Morning Briefing.
Sign up
By signing up, I accept SPH Media's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy as amended from time to time.
Yes, I would also like to receive SPH Media Group's
SPH Media Limited, its related corporations and affiliates as well as their agents and authorised service providers.
marketing and promotions.
Megan was also forced to wear soiled diapers over her head, forced to eat food from the dustbin, and forced to eat her mother’s mucus – acts that were captured on video.SPH Media Limited, its related corporations and affiliates as well as their agents and authorised service providers.
marketing and promotions.
The physical and emotional abuse culminated in her death at the age of four, after Wong punched her in the stomach on Feb 21, 2020.
The couple burned Megan’s body in a custom-made metal barrel on May 8, 2020, after conducting research and experiments on ways to incinerate a corpse.
Megan’s ashes were never recovered.
A friend of the couple, Nouvelle Chua Ruoshi, 35, who abused drugs with them at their unit at Suites @ Guillemard, has also been charged in connection with Megan’s death.
Her case is pending in the State Courts.
For more than a year, Megan Khung was abused by her mother Foo Li Ping and her boyfriend Wong Shi Xiang at their rented condominium unit in Paya Lebar.PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE
Megan’s parents were married in 2015, the year she was born.
Her father, Mr Khung Wei Nan, 37, is a businessman and content creator known as simonboy.
After their relationship broke down, Foo and Megan lived with Foo’s mother.
In January 2019, Foo moved in with Wong at the condo unit he was renting. Megan remained with her grandmother and stayed with the couple on some weekends.
Between late February and early March in 2019, the couple began caning Megan, who was then three years old.
In March 2019, staff at the girl’s pre-school noticed bruises on her face, arms and feet. They told the couple that any abuse would be referred to the Ministry of Social and Family Development.
On Sept 17, 2019, Foo withdrew Megan from the pre-school. The abuse escalated that month, when the girl began living with the couple.
On July 20, 2020, Megan’s father made a police report, saying he was concerned about her whereabouts and safety.
Mr Khung said he last saw her in February 2017, after which he was incarcerated. He has previously been reported as serving a three-year sentence at a drug rehabilitation centre.
Wong Shi Xiang (left) and Foo Li Ping had caned and slapped Megan, and deprived the girl of food and clothes.ST ILLUSTRATION: MANNY FRANCISCO
Following the police report, Foo, Wong and Chua were arrested on July 24, 2020.
They had recorded videos of many abusive acts, some of which were shown in court on Feb 28.
On April 3, before sentencing Foo and Wong, High Court Justice Hoo Sheau Peng recounted the facts to underscore the pair’s “heinous, deplorable and violent conduct”.
Justice Hoo noted that for months, Megan pleaded with her mother for food, clothing and to be able to leave the planter box where she was forced to sleep.
Couple abused 4-year-old girl for more than a year, burned her body after she diedWoman charged with ill-treating stepchildren; husband earlier jailed over daughter’s death
“Her pitiful pleas fell on deaf ears, and a hardened heart; Foo’s reaction was to taunt, mock, and berate Megan,” said the judge.
Justice Hoo noted that by February 2020, Megan was in an emaciated state, and a mere shadow of her previous self.
The judge added that the deliberate recording of Megan in distressing situations showed the pair’s “absolute depravity”.
“For their own sadistic ends, the accused persons robbed Megan of her basic dignity,” said the judge.
Justice Hoo added that after Megan died, Foo and Wong continued to display utter callousness and cruelty. They resorted to unorthodox and harmful methods, including blowing drug fumes into Megan’s mouth, in an attempt to resuscitate her.
And over months, in the interests of self-preservation, they cold-heartedly planned and then deviously carried out the disposal of Megan’s body.
“At the end of her life, they denied Megan of the dignity of a proper laying to rest,” said Justice Hoo.
In sentencing Foo, the judge noted that Megan’s mother deliberately deprived the girl of food to prevent her from defecating around the house, and deliberately deprived her of clothes to prevent her from staining them with blood from her wounds.
[IMG width="860px" alt="semegan28 - On various occasions, Megan was forced to sleep underneath the wooden planks of the planter box without pillows or blankets.
Source/copyright: Court documents"]https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/...3611376963b2b48351517b1c54cff1af0d497f4[/IMG]
Megan was made to sleep in the planter box at the balcony outside the master bedroom.PHOTO: COURT DOCUMENTS
Foo also adamantly refused to give Megan any clothes despite the child’s repeated pleas, and made Megan sleep in the planter box to prevent her from dirtying the flat.
Foo also made Megan eat her mucus in response to Chua’s suggestion to do so. “This manner of abuse was designed to offer Foo and (Chua) sadistic amusement,” said the judge.
Justice Hoo also referred to the prior intervention by the staff at Megan’s pre-school, who had, on more than one occasion, warned Foo not to punish Megan physically.
“Foo acknowledged this. Yet, she proceeded to withdraw Megan from the pre-school, and escalated the abuse.”
Justice Hoo also pointed to the highly sophisticated manner in which the pair had incinerated the corpse, leaving no trace of Megan, and that Foo had done so to cover up how the girl had died at their hands.
The prosecution had on Feb 28 asked for 15 to 20 years’ jail for Foo, saying the case involved a gross abnegation of parental duties.
Abusive dad who killed 5-year-old daughter medically unfit for caning, gets more jail timeMum of toddler whose burnt remains were found in pot sentenced to 14 years' jail
Her lawyers, Mr Josephus Tan and Mr Cory Wong, who are acting pro bono, had argued for not more than 11 years’ jail.
Foo submitted handwritten letters alleging that she was a victim of domestic abuse and expressing regret over her actions.
Justice Hoo said she saw no mitigating value in the letters. Even if it was true that Foo had been abused, it did not absolve her of any liability.
Turning to Wong, the judge said his acts of abuse were “intense, persistent, cruel and humiliating”.
He caned Megan, hit her with objects such as a water hose and a baton, punched her, and taught Foo how to inflict pain on her without leaving visible injuries.
He also forced Megan to eat food from the bin, drew all over her face and paraded her in public, in addition to starving her, depriving her of clothes, and making her sleep in the planter box.
Wong also exploited Megan’s fear of water by spraying water onto her face with the bidet sprayer in the toilet. On one occasion, Wong hit Megan so hard that her jaw became crooked.
21.5 years’ jail, 18 strokes of cane for man who killed 2-year-old daughter and burned her body in potGirl, 5, allegedly confined and murdered by father: 10-minute video of past assault shown in court
His fatal punch in February 2020 was inflicted because he was triggered by his own perception that Megan had failed to respond to his admonishment.
Even after Megan became unresponsive, he prioritised trying to cover up his own offences, and did not bring back a defibrillator he had located for fear of prosecution.
The prosecution had sought a sentence of 28 to 30 years’ jail and 15 to 17 strokes of the cane for Wong.
His lawyer, Mr Vinit Chhabra, sought between 20 and 22 years’ jail with 11 strokes of the cane.
Justice Hoo said she gave no weight to the claim in Wong’s mitigation plea that he was under the influence of methamphetamine and was merely trying to discipline Megan. Wong’s consumption of drugs would, if anything, be aggravating, she noted.
Justice Hoo concluded by saying that these are heavy sentences.
“To reiterate, when parents or caregivers abuse their children in ways which torment them physically, mentally and emotionally, the court must, on behalf of society, impose stiff punishment reflecting the disapprobation of such conduct,” she said.
Both Foo and Wong looked expressionless as their sentences were read out.
Foo Li Ping was allowed to talk to her mother and other relatives after the court session ended.ST ILLUSTRATION: MANNY FRANCISCO
Foo was allowed to talk to her mother and other relatives after the court session ended. As they held hands, Foo cried and apologised to her mother in Mandarin.
Her mother told her to take care of herself and be a good person.
“I will wait for you to be released from prison,” her mother said tearfully.
