Defence closes case in Zayn Rayyan child neglect trial

The Star

6 hours ago

PETALING JAYA: The defence team for the mother of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin, charged with neglect resulting in physical harm to her six-year-old autistic son, has closed its case after calling five witnesses.
Defence counsel Haresh Mahadevan, representing Ismanira Abdul Manaf, 30, informed the Sessions Court that the defence was closing its case after the testimony of child psychologist Dr Noor Aishah Rosli, 49, who took the stand yesterday.
'The defence has no further witnesses, and we close our case,' he said.
Judge Dr Syahliza Warnoh fixed Sept 8 for written submissions from both parties, Sept 22 for oral replies and Oct 31 for the verdict.
Ismanira testified in her own defence for three days.
Dr Noor Aishah testified that stressful WhatsApp messages from the accused were normal expressions from a mother caring for an autistic child.
'From a psychological perspective, these should not be viewed as an intention to commit a crime. If you ask anyone, it's common for messages to a spouse to contain harsh words, but without any intent behind them,' she said during examination-in-chief by Haresh, Bernama reported.
She described the messages as Ismanira's way of expressing affection for her son while venting to her husband, who was at work at the time.
Dr Noor Aishah said the texts were emotional outbursts and light-hearted remarks and not to be taken seriously, with no indication of malicious intent.