The Petaling Jaya Sessions Court descended into chaos today as Ismanira Abdul Manaf was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison for neglecting her late six-year-old son, Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin, whose lifeless body was discovered near a stream in December 2023.
Tension filled the courtroom the moment judge Syahliza Warnoh refused to defer the sentence. Overcome with rage, Zayn’s father, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, erupted, shouting, “Laknat, semua ini akan laknat (all will be cursed).”
His fury did not end there. Turning towards the investigating officer, Zaim warned, “Kau jaga, botak (watch out, botak).”
Zaim, who was in tears after the guilty verdict was handed down, also tried to approach the lawyers and media, but his father intervened just in time.
Police officers quickly formed a human barrier, shielding reporters from Ismanira’s family as emotions boiled over.
‘Remember God, remember your mother’
In a desperate attempt to restrain his son, Zaim’s father was seen sitting on him, saying, “Ingat Allah, ingat mak, Zaim (Remember Allah, remember your mother).”
Meanwhile, Sinar Harian quoted Zaim as stating that he and his family no longer trust the transparency of the investigating officer previously handling the case.
“I am disappointed with today’s decision. May all those involved in the injustice and slander against my family receive God’s retribution.
“The police must continue the investigation to find my son’s killer, who is still out there,” he said.
Moments earlier, the court had ordered Ismanira, 30, to begin serving her sentence immediately after finding her guilty of neglect for allowing her autistic son to walk behind her unsupervised - an act that led to his disappearance and tragic death.
In delivering her judgment, Syahliza ruled that the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt against the prosecution’s case.
During mitigation, defence counsel Haresh Mahadevan pleaded for leniency, stressing that Ismanira was a first-time offender and that imprisonment would cruelly separate her from their second child, who is also autistic.
He argued that the sentence would cause further trauma to the child.
Prima facie case
On July 21, the court had ordered Ismanira to enter her defence after concluding that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against her.
Her husband, however, was acquitted and discharged of the same charge.
The couple had been accused of neglecting Zayn in a manner likely to cause physical injury near Block R, Idaman Apartment, Damansara Damai, and by a nearby river between 12pm on Dec 5 and 9.55pm on Dec 6, 2023.
The charge was framed under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment or a fine of RM50,000, or both.
The police have not been able to find the person(s) responsible for Zayn’s murder. His cause of death was attributed to strangulation. - Mkini
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