00:00The mother of the late Zayn Ryan Abdul-Matin told the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court on Tuesday
00:07that she never left her child alone, except during working hours and school sessions.
00:13Ismaneera Abdul-Manaf, the first defence witness during the examination-in-chief by her lawyer,
00:19Haresh Mahadevan, on the second day of the defence proceedings in the child neglect case
00:24involving her autistic son, firmly denied that she neglected Zayn Ryan, as alleged in the charge
00:30brought against her. The 30-year-old said she was not at Block R of the Edaman apartments in
00:38Damansara Damai the entire time, and never went near the river area as alleged. She stressed that
00:44she genuinely lost her child on that day, December 5, 2023, and it was not a case of neglect.
00:51Ismaneera also claimed that she was forced to confess to killing her son while in remand custody.
00:58According to her, she had given full cooperation throughout the 13 days of investigation,
01:03but claimed that the police were not satisfied with her statements.
01:07She added that the investigation was conducted at a bungalow, referred to as a safe house,
01:13located in Petaling Jaya. On Monday, Judge Dr. Shahleiza Warno ordered Ismaneera
01:19to enter her defence after the prosecution successfully established a prima facie case
01:25against her. Her husband, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, was discharged and acquitted of the same charge.
01:32The offence falls under Section 31, Subsection 1A of the Child Act 2001, read together with Section
01:3934 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment,
01:45a fine of up to 50,000 ringgit or both upon conviction.
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