PETALING JAYA, Aug 5 — The defence team for the mother of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin, charged with neglect resulting in physical harm to her six-year-old autistic son, closed its case today after calling five witnesses.
Defence counsel Haresh Mahadevan, representing Ismanira Abdul Manaf, 30, informed the court that the defence was closing its case following the testimony of child psychologist Dr Noor Aishah Rosli, 49, who took the stand today.
“The defence has no further witnesses, and we close our case today,” he said.
Judge Syahliza Warnoh then fixed September 8 for written submissions from both parties, September 22 for the oral replies, and October 31 for the verdict on whether to convict or acquit the accused.
On July 21, the court ordered Ismanira to enter her defence after the prosecution established a prima facie case against her at the close of its case. She testified in her own defence over three days, beginning July 21.
Earlier, Dr Aishah testified that the following WhatsApp messages were normal expressions from a mother caring for an autistic child:
“haishhh stress nak mati” ( I am so stressed I could die)
“budak ni elok je takde pun aku pukul… sebenarnya aku tepuk punggung masing-masing je tapi aku cakap perkataan berlasah sebab aku tengah geram dan marah sangat-sangat” (The kid is fine, I did not actually hit him… I just smacked his bottom, but I said ‘beat up’ because I was feeling really annoyed and angry).
“From a psychological perspective, these should not be viewed as an intention to commit a crime. If you ask anyone, it is common for messages to a spouse to contain harsh words, but without any intent behind them,” she said.
Dr Aishah described the messages as the accused's way of expressing affection for her son while venting to her husband, who was at work at the time.
She added that the texts were emotional outbursts, light-hearted remarks, and not to be taken seriously, with no indication of malicious intent.
“I find these kinds of conversations reflect a marital relationship. The language may appear harsh, but it is just surface-level, idle talk meant only to release emotions,” she said during examination-in-chief by Haresh.
Today’s proceedings were conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutors Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin, Aqharie Durranie Aziz, and Nur Sabrina Zubairi, while Haresh, Ramzani Idris, and Lavanesh Haresh appeared for Ismanira.
On July 21, Judge Syahliza ordered the accused to enter her defence after ruling that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against her. Her husband, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, 30, was discharged and acquitted of the same charge.
On June 13 last year, Zaim and Ismanira pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court to a charge of neglecting their six-year-old autistic son in a manner likely to cause physical harm, along PJU Damansara Damai between 12pm on December 5 and 9.55pm on December 6, 2023.
They were charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which is punishable by a maximum fine of RM50,000, imprisonment of up to 20 years, or both upon conviction.
Zayn was reported missing on December 5, 2023, and his body was discovered in a stream near his home at Apartment Idaman, Damansara Damai, the following day.
He was believed to have been murdered, and an autopsy revealed injuries to his neck and body, consistent with self-defence.
