PETALING JAYA, Feb 17 — A police officer told the Sessions Court today that he covered the body of the late Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin with his sweater upon discovering the autistic child lying unconscious on a sandy rock in a stream near Apartment Idaman, Damansara Damai.
Corporal Mohammad Hunter El Arash Jeanawie Untam, 35, said the area was crowded with members of the public when the child was found during the search operation for Zayn on the night of December 6, 2023.
"I heard someone shouting, 'We have found him, sir! We have found him!' I, along with a group of people, followed the stream in the dark and saw the deceased (Zayn) lying unconscious on his side on a sandy rock.
"The scene was chaotic, so I took off my sweater and covered him. We shielded him from the public to prevent anyone from getting too close or taking photographs," he said.
Hunter was speaking during a re-examination by Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Aqharie Durranie Aziz on the sixth day of the trial involving the deceased's parents Zaim Ikhwan Zahari and Ismanira Abdul Manaf, who are facing charges of neglect.
Hunter, who is attached to the Petaling Jaya police station, said that while waiting for the forensic team to arrive, he heard a man in the crowd identifying himself as Zayn's father.
"I heard a man shouting, 'Who killed my child? I want to hold my child!' I then instructed the public to prevent him from approaching the body," he said.
The 13th prosecution witness said that when the forensic team arrived, he informed them that the sweater covering Zayn Rayyan’s body belonged to him before stepping aside to allow them to carry out their work.
In response to a question from defence lawyer Haresh Mahadevan, representing the accused couple, Hunter said he was unsure whether members of the public who joined in the search had concluded that Zayn had been murdered.
He added that was unaware if Zayn's grandfather Zahari Mohd Reba had seen the child's body and told Zaim that his grandson had been killed.
Meanwhile, a resident of the apartment, Siti Natrah Ismail, 68, told the court that she had seen two children running around at 12pm on December 5, 2023, while she was hanging clothes in the drying area behind her ground-floor unit in Block R.
However, the 12th prosecution witness said she was unsure of the identities of the two boys, who were dressed in school uniforms and a white shirt with black trousers, respectively.
"When I went inside my house, I did not see them at the stairs in front of my unit. That means they had already boarded the school van," said Siti, who has lived in the apartment for 21 years.
Meanwhile, DPP Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin requested that tomorrow’s trial proceedings, involving two child witnesses, be conducted via live feed with the presence of an accompanying adult.
"The witnesses will not be physically present in the courtroom but will testify via video link from a different location.
"Additionally, the media must not reveal their identities, as doing so could result in a fine of up to RM10,000, imprisonment for up to two years, or both," she said.
Judge Syahliza Warnoh granted the request for a closed-door (in-camera) proceeding, with the child witnesses accompanied by adults positioned at a distance.
"The media is prohibited from reporting any details about these children or any related matters to protect their identities.
"Furthermore, the court has scheduled Thursday for witnesses to conduct a site identification visit. This means no other parties need to be present besides the judge, interpreter, deputy public prosecutor, lawyers, the accused, and relevant witnesses,” said Syahliza.
On June 13, 2024, Zaim and Ismanira, both 30, pleaded not guilty at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court to a charge of neglecting their six-year-old autistic son in a manner likely to cause him physical harm between noon on December 5 and 9.55pm on December 6, 2023, at Jalan PJU Damansara Damai.
The charge, framed under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 and punishable under Section 31(1) of the same Act, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, carries a maximum fine of RM50,000, imprisonment of up to 20 years, or both, upon conviction.
On December 6, 2023, Zayn's body was discovered in a stream near his home at Apartment Idaman, Damansara Damai, a day after he was reported missing.
The child is believed to have been murdered, with a post-mortem revealing injuries to his neck and body consistent with self-defence wounds.
The trial continues tomorrow.
— Bernama
