PETALING JAYA: The first day of the trial for the neglect case of six-year-old Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin saw his parents in tears at the Sessions Court on Monday (Feb 3) after a photographer presented 94 post-mortem images of the autistic child, Sinar Harian reports.
The Malay language daily reported that Ismanira Abdul Manaf could be seen comforting her husband, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, in the dock.
However, they could not contain their emotions when Detective Corporal Mohamad Hirwan Arifin, 45, from the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters, displayed all 142 images taken two days after Zayn Rayyan was found dead.
The images included pictures of the child's face, leg, ear, and arm injuries, as well as photos of the storeroom, Block R of Idaman Apartment, storage items, the inner and outer doors of the victim's home, and the staircase location.
The court allowed proceedings to pause for a few minutes after the defendants requested to use the restroom, Sinar Harian reported.
During the main examination, Deputy Public Prosecutor Kamarul Iman Ahmad Sapian asked about the detailed information of the photographs.
Prosecution: What orders did you receive on Dec 7, 2023?
Mohamad Hirwan: I was instructed to take photographs at the crime scene and the post-mortem of Zayn Rayyan at Sungai Buloh Hospital.
Prosecution: The fifth and sixth photos?
Mohamad Hirwan: Those are pictures of the victim named Zayn Rayyan.
Prosecution: What about the nineteenth photo?
Mohamad Hirwan: This is a picture of the victim without a shirt and pants; at that time, he was wearing a disposable diaper.
"I received instructions from the investigating officer, Asst Supt Mohd Hafizee Ismail, to photograph the victim's bag.
"I took a picture of a blue, red, yellow, and white bag with the letter S in the middle of it.
"There was a small blue and red bag with a cartoon image and a green water bottle," said the prosecution's first witness.
During the cross-examination, lawyer Haresh Mahadevan, representing the 30-year-old couple, suggested that his clients had cooperated with the authorities.
Mohamad Hirwan: I'm not sure.
Lawyer: Were the defendants at their home at that time?
Mohamad Hirwan: I don't remember and am not sure.
On June 13 last year, the couple pleaded not guilty to a charge of neglecting their son, Zayn Rayyan, in a manner likely to cause physical injury.
The offence allegedly occurred around PJU Damansara Damai from noon on Dec 5, 2023, to 9.55pm the following day.
The charge is under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, punishable under Section 31(1) of the same Act, read with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries a fine not exceeding RM50,000, imprisonment up to 20 years, or both upon conviction.
On Dec 6, 2023, Zayn Rayyan was found dead in a stream near Idaman Apartment, Damansara Damai, at 10pm.
The victim was reported missing before being found lying about 200m from his residential block.
The proceedings before Judge Dr Syahliza Warnoh will continue on Tuesday (Feb 4).
