PETALING JAYA, Oct 30 — Ismanira Abdul Manaf, the mother of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin, will learn her fate tomorrow when the court determines whether she is acquitted or convicted of a charge of neglecting her six-year-old autistic son, which resulted in physical injury to him two years ago.
Sessions Court Judge Syahliza Warnoh is scheduled to deliver the verdict at the conclusion of the defence case at 9am.
On August 5, the defence team closed its case after presenting five witnesses. The proceedings, which commenced on July 21, began with Ismanira, 30, testifying as the first witness.
Other witnesses who testified were child psychology specialist Dr Noor Aishah Rosli, the late Zayn's grandfather Zahari Mohd Reba, and Ismanira's close friend Umi Syafiqah Rohizal.
On July 21, Judge Syahliza ordered Ismanira to enter her defence after ruling that the prosecution had successfully established a prima facie case against her. However, her husband Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, 30, was acquitted and discharged of the same charge.
The couple had been charged with neglecting Zayn in a manner likely to cause him physical injury in the vicinity of Block R, Idaman Apartments, Damansara Damai, and the nearby stream, between noon on December 5, 2023, and 9.55pm the following day.
They were charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment, a fine of RM50,000, or both, upon conviction.
The prosecution had closed its case on April 24 after calling 28 witnesses over 20 days of the trial, which began on February 3.
Witnesses for the prosecution included Faizul Najib Abd Munaim, the first individual who discovered Zayn's body; Auni Afiqah Abas, the boy’s nursery caregiver; consultant forensic pathologist Dr Rohayu Shahar Adnan; three investigating officers; and two child witnesses aged ten.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutors Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin, Aqharie Durranie Aziz and Nur Sabrina Zubairi, while Ismanira was represented by counsel Haresh Mahadevan, Ramzani Idris, and Lavanesh Haresh.
Zayn Rayyan, six, was reported missing on December 5, 2023. His body was discovered the following day in a stream near his residence.
