PETALING JAYA: The defence team for the mother of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin, who was 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 court that the defence was closing its case following the testimony of child psychologist Dr Noor Aishah Rosli, 49, who took the stand on Tuesday (Aug 5).
"The defence has no further witnesses and we close our case today," he said.
Judge Dr Syahliza Warnoh then fixed Sept 8 for written submissions from both parties, Sept 22 for oral replies and Oct 31 for the verdict on whether to convict or acquit Ismanira.
On July 21, the court ordered Ismanira to enter her defence after the prosecution established a prima facie case against her at the close of its case. She testified in her own defence over three days, beginning July 21.
Earlier, Dr Noor Aishah testified that some WhatsApp messages by Ismanira were normal expressions from a mother caring for an autistic child:
"Haishhh stress nak mati" (I'm so stressed, I could die)
"Budak ni elok je takde pun aku pukul… sebenarnya aku tepuk punggung masing-masing je tapi aku cakap perkataan berlasah sebab aku tengah geram dan marah sangat-sangat" (The boy is fine, I didn't actually hit him… I just smacked his bottom but I said 'beating' because I was really annoyed and angry).
"From a psychological perspective, these should not be viewed as intent to commit a crime. If you ask anyone, it's common for messages between spouses to contain harsh words – but without any intent behind them," she said.
She described the messages as Ismanira's way of expressing affection for her son while venting to her husband, who was working at the time.
Dr Noor Aishah said the texts were emotional outbursts, light-hearted remarks with no indication of malicious intent and not to be taken seriously.
"I find these kinds of conversations reflect a marital relationship. The language may appear harsh but it's just surface-level, idle talk meant only to release emotions," she added during examination-in-chief by Haresh.
On July 21, Judge Syahliza ordered Ismanira to enter her defence after ruling that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against her. Her husband, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, 30, was discharged and acquitted of the same charge.
On June 13 last year, Zaim Ikhwan and Ismanira, both aged 30, pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court to a charge of neglecting their six-year-old autistic son in a manner likely to cause physical harm, along PJU Damansara Damai between noon on Dec 5 and 9.55pm on Dec 6, 2023.
They were charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which is punishable by a maximum fine of RM50,000, imprisonment of up to 20 years, or both upon conviction.
Zayn Rayyan was reported missing on Dec 5, 2023, and his body was discovered in a stream near his home at Apartment Idaman, Damansara Damai, the following day.
He was believed to have been murdered, and an autopsy revealed injuries to his neck and body, consistent with self-defence. – Bernama
