PETALING JAYA: The mother of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin, the six-year-old autistic boy found dead last December, told the Sessions Court she did not search the garden near their apartment when he went missing.
Ismanira Abdul Manaf, 30, said she instead focused on familiar locations within a 500-metre radius of their home.
“I searched every floor in Block R, then continued to Block S and Block A. All the apartment blocks have four levels. I searched alone at first while staying in contact with my husband (Zaim Ikhwan Zahari), who was then on his way home from work,“ she said during cross-examination.
She explained that she and her husband later searched a petrol station, fast food outlets, her workplace, his school, and nearby apartments.
However, she admitted these locations were farther than the garden next to Block R, where Zayn Rayyan’s body was later discovered.
When asked why she did not check the garden, Ismanira said, “I know my son. He is on the autism spectrum, and he only goes to places he is familiar with. I never brought Zayn to the garden or to the location where his body was found.”
The prosecution suggested she had encountered several people during her search, but Ismanira disagreed, stating the area was quiet during working hours.
She also mentioned leaving contact details at shops in case anyone spotted her son.
On Monday, Judge Dr Syahliza Warnoh ruled that the prosecution had established a prima facie case, requiring Ismanira to enter her defence.
Her husband was acquitted of the same charge.
The couple had been accused of neglect under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison or a RM50,000 fine.
The trial continues this afternoon. – Bernama
