11-year-old girl’s mum and stepdad charged with her murder

The mother and stepfather of an 11-year-old girl were yesterday charged with her murder.

The couple, both 26, are in remand at the Central Police Division in Cantonment Road and appeared in court through video-link.

They each face one charge of murder with common intention and are accused of causing the death of the girl between Nov 6 and Nov 10 at a Housing Board flat.

All parties, as well as the location of the alleged offence, cannot be named because of a gag order issued by the court.

ASKED TO SEE HER SONS

Yesterday, the woman, who is the biological mother of the girl, asked to see her three sons.

She said she had joint custody of two of them with her former husband and one of them is entering primary school soon.

She asked if she could be released on bail to pass documents to her former husband and to settle her son's school fees and childcare arrangements.

The man also asked to see his son through a video call.

Records show the couple married in April this year. The woman's first marriage was in 2013.

District Judge Tan Jen Tse said no bail would be given due to the nature of the offence and told the couple to make their requests to the investigation officer. He ordered them to be remanded for a week with permission for them to be taken out for investigations.

In an earlier statement, the police said they were alerted to the unnatural death of the girl at about 1.20pm on Tuesday.

She had been taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital earlier in the day at 11am and was pronounced dead at 12.40pm.

The case will be heard again next Thursday. If convicted of murder, the couple faces the death penalty.