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Draft:Death of Zabelle Peh Yu Xuan

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Zabelle Peh
Born
Zabelle Peh Yu Xuan

c. November 2022
Singapore
Diedc. January 2023 or c. February 2023 (aged two months)
Sembawang, Singapore
Cause of deathUnknown, but possible death via fractured skull
NationalitySingaporean
Known forPossible abuse and murder victim
Parent(s)Peh Wei Jian (father), Sim Liang Xiu (mother)

On 8 January 2023, inside her flat in Singapore's Sembawang, a two-month-old baby girl named Zabelle Peh Yu Xuan (白雨萱 Bái Yǔxuān) was allegedly assaulted and deliberately dropped into a cot, which fractured her skull. Peh's biological parents, Sim Liang Xiu (沈靓秀 Shěn Liàngxiù) and Peh Wei Jian (白伟健 Bái Wěijiàn), were arrested days after the assault and charged with voluntarily causing grievous hurt and child abuse respectively, and the alleged offenders and victim were originally not publicly named in the media due to a gag order. However, Zabelle died from her injuries on an unknown date after the indictment of her parents, and with the death of the baby, not only did the gag order was lifted, Sim, who was allegedly responsible for the fatal injuries on Zabelle, had her original charge upgraded to murder, while Peh himself faced a fresh charge of failing to protect his daughter and allowed her death. Both of them are currently pending trial as of 2024.[1][2]

Abuse of baby and indictment[edit]

On 16 January 2023, it was reported that a 31-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman, both residing at a flat in Sembawang, were charged two days before with the abuse of a two-month-old girl, who was discovered with a fractured skull.[3][4]

Based on court documents and media reports, the woman was charged with voluntarily causing grievous hurt while the man was charged with the ill-treatment of the child. One documented instance of the abuse happened on 5 January 2023, when the man allegedly caused slapped the infant's face, who was under his custody, at about 1.30am. Another instance happened on the night of 8 January 2023, when the female offender allegedly caused grievous hurt to the baby by forcefully dropping her down in the cot, which caused the girl's skull to become fractured. Under unspecified circumstances, the incidents of abuse came to light and it led to the arrest and indictment of the pair. The pair were scheduled to undergo psychiatric evaluation at the Institute of Mental Health on 27 January. The female offender faced the maximum sentence of ten years' jail with caning for causing grievous hurt, although women cannot be caned; while the woman's male accomplice faced the maximum sentence of eight years' jail and/or a S$8,000 fine for ill-treating a child.[5][6][7]

Although the relationship between the girl and the alleged offenders were not revealed in court at first,[8] local Chinese newspapers confirmed that the alleged abusers of the baby were her biological parents.[9][10] At the time of the indictment, the identities of the victim and her parents were withheld to protect the child, whose condition at that point was not revealed to the public.[11][12]

Death of Zabelle and new charges[edit]

Sometime after her parents were charged with abusing her, the baby girl, whose real name was Zabelle Peh Yu Xuan, eventually succumbed to her injuries and died on an unspecified date in either January or February 2023.[13]

As a result of her death, on 3 February 2023, Zabelle's 29-year-old mother Sim Liang Xiu was brought back to court, and her original charge of causing grievous hurt was amended to murder, a capital offence that carries either the death penalty or life imprisonment with caning if found guilty, although caning would not be imposed in cases of women convicted of murder but gets life in lieu of death.[14] Additionally, the gag order on the identities of Sim and Zabelle were lifted due to the victim's death. Sim reportedly asked the court why she had to be further investigated, stating there was no point in doing so since she was already "guilty" of murdering her daughter per the police's contention, and the district court judge reminded Sim that the offence she was charged for was a serious one and the investigations had to be fully completed in view of the nature of her offence.[15] A week later, Sim returned to court, and the police confirmed that an autopsy report from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) was still pending at that point. Sim remained in remand since as murder suspects facing the death penalty were not allowed to receive bail.[16][17] Sim was also set to return to the crime scene to re-enact the murder.[18][19]

A 2012 news report revealed that prior to the murder of her daughter, Sim, then 18 years old, was previously charged for causing hurt to a police sergeant at Paya Lebar. It was reported that Sim had kicked Sergeant Siti Sharina Mohd Jailani inside the bus at the area and even hurled expletives at her over a supposed report about Sim's EZ-Link card, and Sim reportedly expressed her intention to plead guilty, although the outcome and sentencing in that particular case was not specified.[20] Prior to the case, Sim's husband was previously married in 2012 before he registered his marriage with Sim in 2018.[21]

On 6 February 2023, Zabelle's 31-year-old father Peh Wei Jian returned to court, and aside from his original charge of ill-treating Zabelle,[22][23] he faced a new charge under the Children and Young Persons Act, and the charge itself was pertaining to him not protecting his daughter and allowed the death of the girl in the same household; the gag order on Peh's identity was similarly removed due to his daughter's death. Peh was remanded for a week to assist in investigations. For the new charge of allowing the baby's death, Peh faced the maximum sentence of 20 years' jail with either a fine or caning.[24][25][26] In another court appearance on 13 March, Peh reportedly told the district court that he was not at the scene of crime when the fatal assault happened, and he claimed he had tried to stop his wife from beating the child, although the judge prohibited him from saying further to interfere with the court proceedings and fairness of investigations. Peh's next court appearance was set in July of that same year.[27] Reportedly, Peh was reportedly offered a S$100,000 bail, and a court order also restricted him from coming into contact with Zabelle's 16-month-old elder brother.[28]

As of 2024, both Sim and Peh are currently awaiting trial for the alleged abuse and murder of Zabelle Peh.

Case response[edit]

When the death of Zabelle was first reported in the media, many neighbours of the couple in Sembawang were shocked to hear about what happened. One of the neighbours, a 30-year-old housewife, told the press that she remembered the couple moving in to their block while Sim was heavily pregnant and she gave birth not long after; she described Sim as a housewife who stayed at home all the time while Peh often worked in shifts.[29] Another neighbour, a man in his 60s, stated that the couple, who were normally "quiet people", had once gave him and the other neighbours some cakes to celebrate their baby reaching a full month old, which made him shocked and surprised to realize that the baby had died. Reporters exploring the couple's flat also witnessed a new bicycle and a bag of new toys being left outside the doorstep, which were presumably left behind by someone offering condolences to the late two-month-old Zabelle.[30]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "S'porean man, 31, charged with failing to protect 2-month-old baby who was allegedly murdered by woman living together". Mothership. 6 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Lelaki didakwa gagal lindungi bayi yang maut selepas wanita sebabkan tempurung kepala retak". Berita Mediacorp (in Malay). 6 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Duo charged over alleged abuse of 2-month-old girl found with fractured skull in Sembawang flat". The Straits Times. 16 January 2023.
  4. ^ "两月大女婴头骨折 男女涉虐婴被控". Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese). 16 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Woman charged with dropping 2-month-old baby into cot, fracturing her skull". TODAY. 16 January 2023.
  6. ^ "男女涉虐待女婴 掌掴猛丢致骨折". Oriental Daily (in Chinese). 16 January 2023.
  7. ^ "2月大女婴头骨折 男女涉虐待被控". eNanyang (in Chinese). 16 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Man charged with failing to protect 2-month-old baby, who died after woman allegedly fractured her skull". CNA. 6 February 2023.
  9. ^ "丢女入床致头骨折亡 生母被控谋杀罪". Kwong Wah (in Chinese). 4 February 2023.
  10. ^ "涉猛丢入婴儿床女婴头骨折亡 生母改控谋杀". Oriental Daily (in Chinese). 4 February 2023.
  11. ^ "受虐女婴头部骨折身亡 施虐女子被改控谋杀". Sin Chew Daily (in Chinese). 4 February 2023.
  12. ^ "Woman charged with dropping 2-month-old baby into cot, fracturing her skull". CNA. 16 January 2023.
  13. ^ "Woman who allegedly fractured 2-month-old baby's skull by dropping her gets charge upgraded to murder". CNA. 3 February 2023.
  14. ^ "Baby found with fractured skull in January dies; woman's assault charge amended to murder". The Straits Times. 3 February 2023.
  15. ^ "Woman who allegedly fractured 2-month-old baby's skull by dropping her gets charge upgraded to murder". TODAY. 3 February 2023.
  16. ^ "涉虐死两个月大女婴 母亲案件仍在调查中". Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese). 10 February 2023.
  17. ^ "母亲改控谋杀女婴案 控方：案件仍在查须等卫科局报告". Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese). 12 February 2023.
  18. ^ "本被控虐婴 女婴伤重身亡女子改控谋杀". Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese). 3 February 2023.
  19. ^ "女婴伤重不治 涉虐婴女子被改控谋杀罪". 8World News (in Chinese). 3 February 2023.
  20. ^ "Remaja perempuan dituduh cederakan sarjan polis". Berita Harian (in Malay). 20 March 2012.
  21. ^ "【狮城两个月女婴被虐身亡】涉案妻子改控谋杀 丈夫加控见死不救罪名". Oriental Daily (in Chinese). 8 February 2023.
  22. ^ "两个月大女婴疑遭虐死 父亲加控"见死不救"". eNanyang (in Chinese). 6 February 2023.
  23. ^ "虐待女婴致死案 与女子同居男子被加控一项罪名". 8World News (in Chinese). 6 February 2023.
  24. ^ "Man who allegedly ill-treated baby before she died now accused of failing to protect her". The Straits Times. 6 February 2023.
  25. ^ "Man charged with failing to protect 2-month-old baby, who died after woman allegedly fractured her skull". TODAY. 6 February 2023.
  26. ^ "涉虐待两个月大女儿 父亲加控一项罪状". Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese). 6 February 2023.
  27. ^ "两个月大女婴遭虐死 父称案发时不在场". eNanyang (in Chinese). 13 March 2023.
  28. ^ "涉虐两个月大女婴案 父获准10万元保释". Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese). 13 February 2023.
  29. ^ "掌掴 猛丢入摇篮 2月大女婴头骨折亡 生母控谋杀". China Press (in Chinese). 3 February 2023.
  30. ^ "涉猛丢入婴儿床 女婴伤重亡生母改控谋杀". eNanyang (in Chinese). 4 February 2023.

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