Zayn Rayyan's mum suspected her son was abducted

New Straits Times

21 hours ago

PETALING JAYA: The mother of the late Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin today told the Sessions Court here that she suspected her son was abducted by someone while they were climbing the stairs to her residence on the day the autistic child went missing.
Ismanira Abdul Manaf, 30, said this because she did not hear the sound of her son's footsteps and people running as they climbed the stairs from the first to the second floor of Block R, Idaman Apartments, Damansara Damai on Dec 5, 2023.
However, the first defence witness did not agree with the suggestion of deputy public prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin that in fact no one took or abducted her six-year-old son on the day of the incident.
"I suspected my child was kidnapped and taken away because I didn't hear the sound of his footsteps," she said on the second day of the defence proceedings in the neglect case involving the child.
According to Ismanira, on the day of the incident (Dec 5), she walked in front of Zayn Rayyan, but she did not look back at all because she only used her sense of hearing to monitor the whereabouts of Zayn Rayyan who was behind her at the time.
However, Ismanira agreed with the prosecution's suggestion that visual monitoring is clearer and quicker to respond to than using the sense of hearing.
According to Ismanira, Zayn Rayyan also never left the house without her and was always under her supervision.
The accused also disagreed with the prosecution's suggestion that on the day of the incident (Dec 5, 2023), she left Zayn Rayyan to play on a swing in the playground alone while she went up to her house on the second floor of the apartment.
"While walking, sometimes Zayn will run in front of me or behind me under my supervision.
"Zayn knows the stairs up to the house and he also knows our house.
"Besides the house, Zayn also remembers the way to places he usually goes to such as the way to his grandparents' house, the way to school and the shop.
"I know how my son is... Zayn is a smart person even though he has a disability (autism), he knows his home," she said.
Yesterday, Judge Dr Syahliza Warnoh ordered Ismanira to enter her defence after finding that the prosecution had successfully proven a prima facie case against the woman while her husband, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, 30, was discharged and acquitted of the same charge.
Zaim Ikhwan and Ismanira were charged with neglecting Zayn Rayyan in a manner likely to cause physical harm to the victim in the area of Block R, Idaman Apartments, Damansara Damai up to the nearby river area between noon on Dec 5 and 9.55 pm on Dec 6, 2023.
They were charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Children Act 2001 read with Section 34 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment or a fine of RM50,000 or both, if convicted.
The trial continues tomorrow.