Did they fail Zayn? Court to rule on parents of murdered autistic child

The fate of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin’s parents, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari and Ismanira Abdul Manaf, hangs in the balance as the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court prepares to deliver its long-awaited verdict tomorrow.

The court will decide whether the couple must enter their defence or be acquitted of the charge of neglecting their autistic son, which allegedly led to his physical injuries.

According to Bernama, judge Syahliza Warnoh is expected to deliver the ruling at 9am. The case has gripped national attention and stirred deep public emotion.

The prosecution closed its case on April 24 after an exhaustive 20-day trial that featured 28 witnesses, painting a harrowing picture of the days leading up to Zayn’s tragic death.

Key witnesses included the man who first stumbled upon the boy’s lifeless body, Faizul Najib Abd Munaim, Zayn’s babysitter Auni Afiqah Abas, forensic pathologist Dr Rohayu Shahar Adnan, three investigating officers, and two children - both just 10 years old - whose testimonies added emotional weight to the proceedings.

The prosecution team of deputy public prosecutors Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin, Aqharie Durranie Aziz, and Nur Sabrina Zubairi has squared off against defence lawyers Haresh Mahadevan, Ramzani Idris, and Lavanesh Haresh.

Zaim and Ismanira, both 30, were charged with neglecting their six-year-old son in a way that may have caused him physical harm - in a grim timeline stretching from the apartment block where they lived in Damansara Damai to a nearby river where the child was eventually found.

They were charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, read with Section 34 of the Penal Code - a provision that could see them face up to 20 years in prison, a RM50,000 fine, or both.

The tragedy gripped the nation when Zayn was reported missing on Dec 5, 2023. The following day, his small body was discovered in a stream.

In March, the police revealed that new evidence had been obtained in the murder in the form of a link to a video recording.

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