
Zayn Rayyan's mother ordered to enter defence, father acquitted
Published on: Mon, Jul 21, 2025
By: Faisal Asyraf, FMT Text Size: Ismanira Abdul Manaf and her husband were charged last year with neglecting their six-year-old son in a manner likely to cause the boy physical harm. PETALING JAYA: The sessions court here has ordered the mother of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin to enter her defence on a charge of neglecting her six-year-old autistic son, while acquitting the boy's father of the same offence. Judge Syahliza Warnoh ruled that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against Ismanira Abdul Manaf, but failed to prove the necessary elements to require her husband, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, to enter his defence.
Advertisement Both Ismanira and Zaim are 30 years old. Ismanira was given three options: to testify under oath from the witness stand, to give an unsworn statement, or to remain silent. She informed the court that she would testify under oath from the witness stand. Several family members were seen hugging Ismanira, who was in tears after the court stood down to proceed with the trial. Ismanira and her husband were charged last year with neglecting Zayn in a manner likely to cause him physical harm. The offence allegedly occurred at PJU Damansara Damai between noon on Dec 5 2023 – when the boy was said to have gone missing – and 9.55pm the following day, when his body was discovered in a stream near his home at Apartment Idaman, Damansara Damai. The charge was framed under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment, a fine of RM50,000, or both, upon conviction. Haresh Mahadevan, Ramzani Idris, and Lavanesh Haresh represented the couple. Deputy public prosecutors Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin, Aqharie Durranie Aziz, and Nur Sabrina Zubairi conducted the prosecution. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New Straits Times
36 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Thousands of men shared non-consensual intimate photos on Telegram
BEIJING: Thousands of men allegedly shared intimate photos and videos of their girlfriends without consent on the Telegram messaging app, Chinese media reported, sparking widespread outcry against secret filming and calls to better protect women. Pornography in China is illegal, and conservative social attitudes towards women remain the norm, often reinforced by state media and popular culture. It comes after a Chinese university expelled a woman this month for "damaging national dignity" over videos posted by a Ukrainian esports player on Telegram suggesting they had been intimate. The Chinese state-owned 'Southern Daily' reported this week that a woman discovered photos of her taken unknowingly had been shared in a Telegram forum with over 100,000 users, mostly Chinese men. Members of the forum also shared photos of their girlfriends, ex-girlfriends and wives, according to a commentary in the 'Guangming Daily', an outlet backed by China's ruling communist party. Revelations of the group have sparked widespread outcry online. "We are not... 'content' that can be randomly uploaded, viewed and fantasised about," read one comment on Instagram-like Red Note. "We can no longer remain silent. Because next could be me, or it could be you." A related hashtag has been viewed more than 230 million times on social media platform Weibo since Thursday. The largest group, called "Mask Park", has since been taken down, but smaller spinoffs remain active, according to women contacted by 'Southern Daily' Telegram encrypts its users' messages and is banned in China, but it is accessible using a virtual private network. "The sharing of nonconsensual pornography is explicitly forbidden by Telegram's terms of service and is removed whenever discovered," Telegram said in a statement sent to AFP. "Moderators proactively monitor public parts of the platform and accept reports in order to remove millions of pieces of harmful content each day, including nonconsensual pornography." The incident has drawn comparisons to a case in South Korea dubbed "Nth Room", in which a man blackmailed dozens of women into taking sexually explicit videos and sold them on Telegram. Online, Chinese women have detailed their own experiences of being filmed and photographed by men in public. "What criminals consider 'regular' for them may be nightmares that countless women can't escape for the rest of their lives," one woman said, sharing an encounter on Douyin. Chinese police have cracked down on illegal filming, arresting hundreds of people in 2022 over clandestine surveillance. But women's rights are sensitive territory in China -- over the last decade, authorities have suppressed almost every form of independent feminist activism. #MeToo activist Sophia Huang Xueqin was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of "inciting subversion of state power" after she became a symbol of the country's stalled feminist movement. Chinese authorities have yet to publicly announce any action against the Telegram group. But the 'Guangming Daily' commentary urged "accountability" for the organisers of the Telegram group, and empathy for the people filmed. Improving law enforcement would "enhance the overall sense of security, free women from the fear of being spied on and make privacy boundaries a truly untouchable red line", it said.


Daily Express
an hour ago
- Daily Express
Malaysian Bar EGM dissolved due to lack of quorum
Published on: Saturday, July 26, 2025 Published on: Sat, Jul 26, 2025 By: Minderjeet Kaur, FMT Text Size: KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar's extraordinary general meeting (EGM) has been dissolved due to a lack of quorum, Bar Council president Ezri Abdul Wahab said. He said 500 members were needed to convene the EGM but only 309 members turned up. 'I am disappointed (that it has been dissolved) because for each EGM we have to spend money,' he said at a press conference at Menara Matrade here this morning. The EGM had been called for on July 1 to debate two key motions concerning judicial independence in the country. One, titled 'Judicial independence', was supposed to be tabled by Ezri. The second, 'Motion to hold the prime minister accountable for having allowed for the undermining of public confidence in the judiciary,' was to have been jointly proposed by lawyers Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and Surendra Ananth, with support from four others. A third motion, 'Implementing a fair rate of minimum remuneration for pupils', put forward by lawyers Goh Cia Yee and Vince Tan, had garnered widespread support and was seconded by 190 lawyers. Ezri said the young lawyers had been expected to attend, especially for the tabling of the third motion. 'We felt the young lawyers wanted to speak up and that was why we organised the EGM,' he said. Among the lawyers who had turned up for the EGM was former attorney-general Tommy Thomas. Asked if the lack of quorum was due to a lack of trust in the Malaysian Bar, its vice-president Anand Raj said those who attended wanted to hear the debate. 'The majority of members had entrusted us with the motion at the AGM in March. That motion passed, and what has happened in the last few months reflects that,' he said. He was referring to the motion for the Bar to file a legal challenge against the Federal Territories Pardons Board over the decision to halve former prime minister Najib Razak's jail sentence for his SRC International corruption conviction. This is not the first time that the lack of a quorum had led to Bar meetings being called off. In 2023, the Bar's annual general meeting (AGM) was called off when only 276 lawyers turned up. A quorum of 500 was needed for the AGM to proceed. This led to lawyer-activist Siti Kasim lashing out at 'lazy' lawyers, saying that there were 9,000 members in Kuala Lumpur alone. There are 24,000 Bar members in Peninsula Malaysia. - FMT * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia


New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Datuk councils sound alarm on rise of fake titles
KUALA LUMPUR: A man claiming to be a "Datuk Seri" is under scrutiny for possibly using a fake title to boost his public image. The Council of Federal Datuks (MDPM) and the Council of Datuk Dato' Malaysia (MDDM) held a joint press conference at Wisma MCA yesterday to sound the alarm over a rise in fake titles in the country. MDPM president Datuk Iskandar Abd Malik said his council recently received reports of a man suspected of falsely using a "Datuk Seri" title during public events. He was allegedly listed as an "honorary adviser" for a charity dinner. He was described on the event's poster as a "Datuk Seri" and a "royal adopted son". MDPM executive committee member Datuk Seri Michael Chong said in the first half of the year, his council had received six complaints on fake titles. "People have been duped into investing money after being misled by individuals flaunting false titles, only to realise the deception after suffering financial losses. "In one case, the losses amounted to RM400,000," the MCA veteran said. MDDM secretary-general Datuk Samson David Maman, who has served as an adviser for years, said he had never heard of a title like "royal adopted son" and believed it was fabricated to mislead the public. "Titles such as Datuk, Datuk Seri, Tan Sri or Tun are conferred on people who have made significant contributions to the nation or society. This is why such titles are respected and highly regarded." He said fraudsters often use fake titles or falsely claim royal ties to gain public trust and promote their investment schemes. In a related development, the alleged "Datuk Seri" has come forward and denied allegations of using a fake title. China Press reported that the man said the accusations had damaged his reputation and called on those responsible to issue a public apology. The man claimed he was conferred a title in 2015, but had kept a low profile over the past decade while quietly engaging in charity work. He claimed he began to use the title recently after finding success in his business. Chong responded today, saying that the council would not apologise. He said if this man believed the accusations were unfounded, he was welcome to submit official documentation on his title for verification.