PETALING JAYA — The mother of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin told the Sessions Court here today that she never neglected her autistic son, particularly on December 5, 2023, as alleged in the charge against her.
Ismanira Abdul Manaf, 30, gave her testimony during examination-in-chief by her lawyer, Haresh Mahadevan, on the first day of her defence proceedings. She described in detail the timeline of events leading up to her son’s disappearance after she picked him up from school.
“I was five minutes late picking Zayn up because I stopped at a supermarket to buy ingredients for his lunch — spaghetti bolognese, his favourite. After returning, I parked my motorcycle at Block C. As part of our usual routine, I brought Zayn to the playground because he loved the swing,” she said.
“Halfway up the stairs to our flat, I noticed I couldn’t hear the sound of his shoes behind me. I assumed he had gone ahead since he knew the way home, but when I got there, he wasn’t inside. If I had heard him running, I would have chased after him immediately.”
Ismanira said she left both the grille and front door open, hoping Zayn might return.
“At that moment, I called out to him. Sometimes I call him ‘abang’ because he’s the eldest. I kept calling, ‘Abang… Zayn… abang, where are you?’ but there was no reply,” she said, recalling the moments when her son went missing from Block R of Idaman Apartments in Damansara Damai.
When asked if she had sought information from the police after Zayn’s body was found in a nearby stream on the night of December 6, she said officers told her there were signs of foul play. Based on the injuries observed, they suspected involvement of either a paedophile or a drug addict.
Ismanira is charged with neglecting Zayn in a manner likely to cause him physical harm, allegedly between noon on December 5 and 9.55pm on December 6, in the area between Block R of the Idaman Apartments and the stream where his body was discovered.
She chose to testify under oath from the witness box, after Judge Dr Syahliza Warnoh ruled that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against her. Her husband, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, 30, who faced a similar charge, was acquitted.
If convicted under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, Ismanira faces up to 20 years in jail, a fine of RM50,000, or both.
The trial continues tomorrow. — July 21, 2025
The post Zayn Rayyan’s mother denies child neglect, recounts timeline of son’s disappearance appeared first on Scoop.