Family involved in alleged murder of a toddler at Chin Swee Road flat had ‘various interactions’ with community agencies – MSF

On Thursday (26 September), the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) revealed that there were “various interactions” between the family involved in the alleged murder of a toddler at Chin Swee Road flat and other agencies and community organisation over the years.
A spokesperson from the Ministry said, “The nature of these interactions with the family is relevant to ongoing criminal investigations. In the meantime, we are reviewing how the network of agencies and community organisations can be further strengthened.”
Two weeks ago, the nation received a shocking news after police discovered the remains of a two-and-a-half-year-old girl in a metal pot. The little girl’s biological parents were charged for her murder a week later on 17 September.
It appears that the 31-year-old man and 30-year-old woman have allegedly killed their daughter five years earlier, in March 2014. If convicted, the pair faces the death penalty.
The police said that the duo have been remanded since June 2018 for other unrelated offences. Court records shows that the man has three pending charges, and one of them is for rioting with four others on 5 April 2018. It is believed that he punched, kicked and used a helmet to hit another man.
In addition, he was also charged for another case where he failed to return to a community supervision centre on 13 February last year, after leave was granted for him to be hired at a food supplies company from November 2017 to April 2018.
Moreover, he allegedly also took methamphetamine, despite being admitted to the Drug Rehabilitation Centre twice before, in 2011 and 2016, for abusing drugs. The cases are still pending.
On the other hand, before being charged for the murder of the toddler, the woman was sentenced to five years and two months in prison for drug and theft charges on 9 September (Monday).
The couple is married and has at least three children. They are also the registered occupants of the flat where the police made the gruesome discovery. The couple’s names are not made public due to a gag order.
MSF also confirmed that all the other children “are under stable alternative care arrangements”.
On Tuesday (24 September), the prosecution applied to have the man remanded for psychiatric assessment at Complex Medical Centre in Changi Prison. He will be back in court on 15 October through video-link for a further mention, while his wife’s case will be heard in court on 1 October.
Separately, the MSF spokesperson told on Thursday that if the police or Central Narcotics Bureau get to know about children “without alternative caregivers” or discover that there are issues with the safety of the kids during their operations, they will be referred to the Child Protective Service at MSF.
“MSF works closely with community partners to ensure stable alternative care arrangements for these children,” the spokesperson said.