ZAYN RAYYAN WAS A WELL-BEHAVED CHILD, NOT PRONE TO TANTRUMS - WITNESS

PETALING JAYA, Feb 7 (Bernama) -- A witness told the Sessions Court here today that the late Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin was a well-behaved child and not prone to tantrums when she handled the autistic boy at school from March to December 2023.

Nasimah Abu Bakar, 33, a student management assistant at Zayn Rayyan’s school, said the child was also not difficult to manage, as he was obedient and did not cause many problems.

"Zayn was passive and not the hyperactive type, he did not throw tantrums often, and he was a good boy," she said during the examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Aqharie Durranie Aziz on the fifth day of the trial of the child’s parents, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari and his wife Ismanira, who are charged with neglect.

Recounting Zayn Rayyan’s disappearance on Dec 5, 2023, Nasimah said she first learned about it from a WhatsApp group for his class between 4 pm and 4.30 pm.

The 10th prosecution witness said that after receiving information about the missing child, she called Zayn Rayyan’s mother, Ismanira, at 5 pm on Dec 5 to confirm the matter.

Further elaborating, Nasimah said after learning about the boy’s disappearance, she informed the school’s student affairs senior assistant for further action.

When asked by Aqharie Durranie what the mother, Ismanira, had told her, Nasimah replied: "Ismanira said, 'Yes, it's true, Zayn is missing.' The mother also said her son had run off quickly and then disappeared."

Nasimah said that on the following day (Dec 6, 2023), she contacted Zayn Rayyan’s mother again and asked if her son had ever run away before, to which Ismanira replied that he had once gone missing at Taman Metropolitan, Kepong.

When questioned by Aqharie Durranie about the disposable diaper that Zayn Rayyan was wearing on Dec 5, and whether she had changed it, she responded, "No, because there was no need to change a diaper that was not soiled or full."

Aqharie Durranie: "So he (Zayn Rayyan) went home wearing the same diaper?" Nasimah replied: "Yes, that’s correct."

The trial will resume on Feb 17.

On June 13, 2024, Zaim Ikhwan and Ismanira, both 30, pleaded not guilty at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court to a charge of neglecting their six-year-old autistic son in a manner likely to cause him physical injury at a location around PJU Damansara Damai here, between noon on Dec 5 and 9.55 pm on Dec 6, 2023.

The charge, framed under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 and punishable under Section 31(1) of the same act read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, carries a maximum fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment of up to 20 years, or both, upon conviction.

On Dec 6, 2023, Zayn Rayyan’s body was found in a stream near his home at Apartment Idaman, Damansara Damai, after he was reported missing the day before.

The child was believed to have been murdered, as the post-mortem examination revealed injuries on his neck and body to be consistent with defensive wounds.

-- BERNAMA