Shanmugam concedes police breached protocol in 2020 child abuse case, says lapse not systemic

On 6 November 2025, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam responded to parliamentary questions on police failings that contributed to the death of four-year-old Megan Khung in 2020.

Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Low Wu Yang Andre had asked whether lapses highlighted in the independent review panel’s report were isolated mistakes or indicative of systemic weaknesses in supervision, training, or adherence to protocols.

In a written reply, Shanmugam stated: “The IO and her supervisor failed to follow Police’s procedures to escalate the case to the regular case review sessions for monitoring and guidance.”

The investigation officer had assessed the initial report filed by Megan’s grandmother in January 2020 as “a case of child discipline with low safety concerns based on the information that she was presented with at that time.”

Over the next two weeks, she attempted to contact Megan’s mother, but “did not follow up beyond that because she was then deployed for COVID-19 related duties.”

Shanmugam noted that: “Despite this, the case would normally have been followed up if the IO and her supervisor had escalated the case to the regular case review sessions in the first place.”

The minister confirmed that internal investigations had been initiated in 2020, and both officers were disciplined.

“The IO resigned subsequently,” he added.

Shanmugam also acknowledged the seriousness of the procedural breach: In this case, the lapse arose because two officers, who were under pressure, did not follow the operating procedure. It was a serious breach, and it resulted in a tragic outcome.”

Responding to the broader question of systemic failure, Shanmugam stated: “The Police will learn from this, and reinforce procedures and training for its officers.”

He also reiterated SPF’s ongoing efforts to improve handling of child protection and family violence cases.“The Police have made several enhancements… [including] the Family Violence Training Package for all frontline and investigation officers” and the formation of Family Violence Teams (FVTs) across all divisions.

Technology has also been introduced to issue “automatic notifications to IOs and their supervisors to complete time-sensitive tasks promptly.”

In earlier remarks delivered in Parliament on 5 November 2025, Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming also recognised the high-pressure environment faced by investigation officers.

He cited the COVID-19 period as a factor that contributed to case delays and lapses in follow-up, noting that the IO in Megan’s case had been reassigned during this time.

Goh emphasised that while operational challenges exist, they do not excuse procedural breaches, especially when vulnerable individuals are involved.

He stressed the importance of strengthening institutional safeguards to ensure that risk assessments and supervisory checks are consistently upheld.

Disciplinary actions and panel findings remain partly opaque

While Parliament was informed that disciplinary action had been taken against both officers, key details remain unavailable.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed on 23 October 2025 that the IO had resigned, but did not disclose the timeline of her departure. Her supervisor, the OC, was issued a financial penalty but remains in service. SPF has not revealed the nature or amount of the penalty.

This information was only made public after media queries were submitted following the release of findings by an independent review panel tasked with examining how various agencies responded to Megan’s case.

The review panel concluded that the IO and OC failed to follow established processes, preventing timely intervention. It stated that once the IO was unable to contact Megan’s mother, she should have escalated the case. The OC also failed to raise the matter at review sessions.

Initial assessment deemed case ‘low risk’ despite concerning context

When Megan’s grandmother lodged the first police report on 17 January 2020, the IO assessed the matter as a case of “child discipline with low safety concern.” This conclusion was based on the grandmother’s limited observations and the absence of direct evidence of abuse.

The IO attempted to reach Megan’s mother but made no headway. Despite the child’s prolonged absence from preschool and unverified safety, no further escalation occurred.

By contrast, when subsequent police reports were filed on 20 July 2020 by Megan’s father and grandmother, a different team of officers classified the matter as a missing person case and acted swiftly.

Megan’s mother, Foo Li Ping, and her then-boyfriend, Brian Wong Shi Xiang, were arrested on 23 July 2020. Megan had died months earlier, on 22 February 2020, from abuse inflicted by Wong.

Months of abuse and overlooked warning signs

The independent panel also found that red flags had been raised as early as March 2019 when Megan’s preschool and social workers observed multiple bruises. A temporary care plan was enacted to place Megan with her grandmother, but this was breached in September 2019.

When Megan was withdrawn from preschool, her grandmother lost contact and was unable to locate Foo or the child. Despite outreach efforts by social service agencies, no police report was filed until January 2020 due to hesitation and misperceptions about who could lodge a report.

The panel criticised both the police and social service agencies for failing to escalate concerns adequately.