Kuala lumpur: The mother of the late Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin admitted in the Sessions Court here today that she did not search the garden area near her apartment in Block R, Idaman Apartment, Damansara Damai, when her son with autism went missing on December 5, 2023. Instead, Ismanira Abdul Manaf, 30, said she searched around the apartment complex and nearby premises.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Ismanira stated, "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 explained that upon her husband's arrival, they continued the search together. During cross-examination by deputy public prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin on the third day of her defense trial, Ismanira mentioned they also looked for Zayn Rayyan at several places within a 500-meter radius from their home, including a petrol station, fast food outlets, her workplace, his school, Indah Apartment, Harmoni Apartment, and Prima Damansara.
Ismanira acknowledged the prosecution's suggestion that the locations she searched were farther away than the garden next to Block R. However, as the first defense witness, she disagreed with the prosecution's suggestion that she had encountered several people while searching the apartment blocks. She stated, "Perhaps a few, but not many. It was during working hours, so the area was quiet except for the shop section. I only met people when I stopped at Block A, where there were stalls. My husband and I left our contact numbers at each shop we visited."
When questioned by defense counsel Haresh Mahadevan about her decision to search areas 500 meters away instead of the nearby garden, Ismanira explained, "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. Unless something unusual had happened or someone took him there, he wouldn't have gone there on his own."
On Monday, Judge Dr. Syahliza Warnoh ruled that the prosecution had established a prima facie case and ordered Ismanira to enter her defense. Her husband, Zaim Ikhwan, 30, was discharged and acquitted of the same charge. The couple had been accused of neglecting Zayn Rayyan in a manner likely to cause him physical harm between noon on December 5 and 9:55 p.m. on December 6, 2023, in the vicinity of Block R of Idaman Apartment and the nearby river. They were charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code. If convicted, the offense carries a maximum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment, a fine of up to RM50,000, or both. The trial continues this afternoon.