July 21 decision on whether Zayn Rayyan's parents to enter defence in child neglect case
PETALING JAYA: The Sessions Court here today set July 21 to deliver the decision on whether Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin's parents, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari and Ismanira Abdul Manaf, are to enter their defence, or be acquitted of the charge of neglecting the six-year-old autistic child, to the point of causing physical harm to him.
Judge Dr Syahliza Warnoh fixed the date after deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin informed the court that the prosecution would be closing its case today, having called 28 witnesses over the course of the 20-day trial, which began on Feb 4.
'The court has set July 21 for the decision, and if the accused are ordered to enter their defence, the defence trial will commence on the same day, and continue until July 24,' said the judge.
The court also fixed May 23 as the deadline for written submissions, with reply submissions by June 6.
Among the witnesses called during the trial were Faizul Najib Abd Munaim, the first person to discover the victim's body; the child's babysitter Auni Afiqah Abas; forensic consultant physician Dr Rohayu Shahar Adnan; three investigating officers; and two 10-year-old child witnesses.
Earlier, Raja Zaizul Faridah announced that all 28 prosecution witnesses had given their statements, and that the prosecution did not intend to call any additional witnesses.
'There are no other witnesses to be called, and with this, we close the prosecution's case. We offer 23 witnesses to the defence, and the list has been provided,' said Raja Zaizul Faridah, who is handling the case alongside DPPs Aqharie Durranie Aziz and Nur Sabrina Zubairi.
When asked about the number of defence witnesses expected to be called, should the accused be ordered to enter their defence, defence counsel Ramzani Idris said that they may call up to seven witnesses.
The two accused are also represented by lawyers, Haresh Mahadevan and Lavanesh Haresh.
On June 13 last year, Zaim Ikhwan and Ismanira, both 30, pleaded not guilty to a charge of neglecting their six-year-old autistic son in a manner likely to cause physical harm.
The offence allegedly occurred along PJU Damansara Damai, between noon on Dec 5 and 9.55 pm 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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Borneo Post
16 minutes ago
- Borneo Post
Town planning officer pleads not guilty to false claim charge
Nazri KOTA KINABALU (June 11): A town planning officer pleaded not guilty at the Special Corruption Court on Wednesday to submitting a false claim amounting to RM19,100. Nazri Hamburg, 45, from the Sabah Town and Country Planning Department, was charged under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, punishable under Section 24(2) of the same act. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of at least five times the fraudulent amount or RM10,000, whichever is higher. The charge alleges that Nazri submitted a false claim form dated June 12, 2017, to a finance administrative assistant in his department. The document included Bill No. 171021 for the delivery of a car and a pick-up truck, along with labour charges for moving goods — totalling RM19,100. Investigators found that no such services were rendered. Judge Jason Juga set July 10 for pre-trial case management and granted Nazri RM10,000 bail with a RM5,000 deposit under one local surety. The court also ordered him to report monthly to the MACC office and surrender his passport, if any. Counsel Hannan Razaini represented the accused.
Borneo Post
16 minutes ago
- Borneo Post
Ex-RELA officer jailed, fined RM147,160 for submitting false MCO allowance claims
Venantius (left) leaving the courtroom after his sentencing on Wednesday. KOTA KINABALU (June 11): A former RELA officer was sentenced to 16 days in jail and fined a total of RM147,160 by a Sessions Court here on Wednesday for seven counts of submitting false claims for allowances during assignments made during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period. Judge Jason Juga ordered 63-year-old Venantius Masingga to serve all his jail terms concurrently. Although he was sentenced to two days' imprisonment for each of the seven charges, the concurrent nature of the sentences means he will only serve two days behind bars. However, it was learnt that Venantius could not afford to pay the fines. He was fined between RM16,160 and RM27,680 for each offence. In default of payment, he faces three months' imprisonment for each charge, amounting to a total of 21 months. The charges involved false allowance claims submitted between March 2020 and August 2021. The court also ordered the return of Venantius' passport and a refund of his bail. In mitigation, the unrepresented Venantius pleaded for a lenient sentence, stating that the money obtained was used to buy food for other RELA personnel whose income was affected by the MCO. In response, the prosecution requested a sentence that would serve as a deterrent, though they acknowledged that Venantius had saved the court's time by pleading guilty. Previously, on March 14, Venantius had claimed trial to 18 similar charges. The court took the remaining 11 charges into consideration under Section 171A of the Criminal Procedure Code.
New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Former international school staff claims trial to cheating, CBT involving over RM142,000
KUALA LUMPUR: A former employee of an international school pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to three charges of cheating and criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving RM142,354.10 belonging to the school. A. Komala, 33, who served as a parent liaison executive and personal assistant at the time, is accused of misappropriating the sum for personal use at the school located in Persiaran Stonor, Dang Wangi, between June 11 and 28 last year. She was charged under Section 408 of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of between one and 14 years, whipping and a fine, upon conviction. Komala also faces two counts of cheating two Japanese men by deceiving them into believing that the school fee invoices she issued for their children were legitimate. The alleged deception prompted the victims to transfer RM94,509 and RM47,845.10 respectively into a bank account under a company owned by the accused's husband — payments they would not have made had they not been misled. The offences were allegedly committed at the same place and during the same period. The cheating charges were framed under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment of between one and 10 years, whipping and a fine, upon conviction. Deputy public prosecutor Noor Syafina Mohd Radzuan proposed bail at RM30,000 with one surety for all charges, while defence counsel Kelvinder Singh Sindhu appealed for a lower amount, citing that the accused is financially supporting her family. Judge Azrul Darus allowed bail at RM30,000 with one surety and set July 15 for mention.
