Woman Who Helped Abuse and Dispose of 4-Year-Old Megan Khung Sentenced to 13 Years' Jail

On Friday, Nov 13, Nouvelle Chua Ruoshi stood in Singapore's High Court dressed all in black. She was expressionless at first, then began to cry as Justice S Mohan pronounced her sentence: 13 years' jail for her part in the abuse of four-year-old Megan Khung and in disposing of the child's body.

Chua, a 36-year-old Singaporean, was a friend of Megan's mother, Foo Li Ping, 31, and of Foo's boyfriend, Wong Shi Xiang, 40. She had earlier pleaded guilty to three charges: an amalgamated count of conspiring to commit child abuse, one count of disposing of a corpse, and one count of drug consumption. Three further counts of conspiring to ill-treat Megan were taken into consideration. Foo and Wong were sentenced in April 2025. Foo received 19 years' jail. Wong received 30 years and 17 strokes of the cane.

Justice Mohan said the case arose from a series of heinous and inhumane acts, and he repeatedly called Chua's conduct depraved. He said the court needed to send the strongest signal that anyone involved in the abuse of children would face the full force of the law, and that the punishment should express society's full abhorrence. He rejected the idea that Chua was a passive bystander. By recording the abuse, failing to intervene and staying present while it happened, he found, she became an enabler and a participant. He added that it was not unimaginable that she took some private amusement from filming it.

At an earlier hearing, prosecutors had sought 13 and a half years, while the defence argued for six years and four months. Both sides later tendered further submissions on the jail terms, which were not elaborated on in court.

The facts presented at Chua's Oct 26 plea hearing set out her role. Megan was born on Oct 4, 2015, to Foo and her then-husband Khung Wei Nan, known online as Simonboy. After the marriage broke down, Foo began dating Wong in 2018 and moved in with him in January 2019. Megan stayed mostly with Foo's mother until September 2019, when she moved into the flat. Chua began visiting from around July 2019 with her own daughter, and was entrusted with Megan's care, at times taking both children out. She saw the couple abusing Megan and filmed several incidents, including ones in which the child was naked or covered in wounds. She dressed Megan in clothes that hid bruises and cane marks.

The court heard of specific episodes. In late 2019, Wong drew on Megan's face because she had used Foo's makeup without permission. He and Chua paraded her in public, with Chua filming so she could remind Megan of the punishment later. In January 2020, after Megan's mucus splashed on Foo while the child cried, Chua told Foo to give it to Megan because she was hungry, and recorded that too. Chua also failed to stop the couple from making Megan sleep in a planter box on the balcony, and filmed her there. She saw Megan growing weaker and the abuse escalating, and did nothing.

On Feb 21, 2020, Wong punched Megan in the stomach, and her back hit a wall. After midnight on Feb 22, Chua arrived and found Megan on her side on the bedroom floor, holding her stomach. The couple dismissed her pain as attention-seeking, and Chua took drugs with them. Hours later Megan was in the same position and unresponsive. Attempts to revive her failed. On Feb 23 the three left and stayed in hotels and serviced apartments until June 2020. Foo and Wong discussed how to get rid of the body, and Chua knew. She drove Wong to the flat when he wrapped the corpse, and at his instruction bought vinegar and other items to mask the smell.

On May 8, 2020, the three returned. Wong placed the wrapped body in a box, which he and Foo loaded into his car. It was burnt in a metal barrel at a workshop. Chua joined in burning incense paper, then left before the burning ended. Wong later scattered the ashes into the sea at East Coast Park. Neither the barrel nor Megan's remains were recovered. Her father reported her whereabouts to police on Jul 20, 2020, and the three were arrested on Jul 24.

Before ending the hearing, Justice Mohan addressed a personal letter from Chua, whose contents were not disclosed. He said he saw some encouragement in her acknowledgment of wrongdoing and urged her to use her prison time to reflect and improve herself. After Foo and Wong's sentencing, the Ministry of Social and Family Development ordered a further review; a panel in October 2025 found serious shortcomings across the agencies responsible for Megan's welfare. In September this year, the ministry launched a new unit to flag child abuse concerns earlier.