PETALING JAYA: There was a tense, emotional moment at the Sessions Court here when Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, the father of murdered autistic child Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin, shouted at the investigating officer in the son's case.
His outburst came late Friday (Oct 31) morning after the court denied his wife Ismanira Abdul Manaf's request for a stay of her five-year jail term after being found guilty of child neglect.
Sinar Harian reports that Zaim Ikhwan shouted, "May you be cursed!" after the court ordered that his wife begin serving the sentence immediately at the Kajang Women's Prison.
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Family members had to restrain and calm Zaim Ikhwan, 30, before taking him out of the courtroom.
Tensions escalated when Zaim Ikhwan's mother expressed her dissatisfaction with the police officers involved in the case.
"Puaslah kau, Botak! (You must be happy, Baldy!)" she said angrily before leaving the court, the Bahasa Malaysia daily reported.
The outburst followed judge Dr Syahliza Warnoh’s rejection of a plea from defence counsel Haresh Mahadevan to postpone Ismanira’s five-year prison sentence.
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Earlier, the court found Ismanira, 30, guilty of neglecting her son and sentenced her to prison, with the sentence effective from today.
The court also directed her to sign a two-year good behaviour bond with a local surety and RM3,000 bail, and to perform 120 hours of community service within six months after completing her prison term.
On July 21, judge Syahliza ordered Ismanira to enter her defence after ruling that the prosecution had successfully established a prima facie case against her.
Zaim Ikhwan was, however, acquitted and discharged of the same charge.
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The couple had been charged with neglecting Zayn Rayyan in a manner likely to cause him physical injury in the vicinity of Block R, Idaman Apartments, Damansara Damai, and the nearby stream, at around noon on Dec 5, 2023, and 9.55pm the following day.
They were charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment, a fine of RM50,000, or both, upon conviction.
The body of Zayn Rayyan, aged six, was discovered in a stream near his residence on Dec 6, 2023.
A post-mortem confirmed that he had died of strangulation.
