Police accuse parents of negligence towards 6-year-old autistic boy found dead in Malaysia

The parents of an autistic child suspected of being murdered in Malaysia were charged with negligence on Thursday, a day after his grandparents were detained by police for investigation.

Six-year-old Zayn Rayya Abdul Matiin was found dead near a stream about 200 metres from his home in Selangor state last December after disappearing the day before.

An autopsy at the time revealed injuries to the neck and body, prompting investigators to comb the surrounding areas in Damansara Damai.

The child’s parents – Zaim Ikhwan Zahari and Ismanira Abdul Manaf – were arrested on May 31 and remanded for seven days to assist in the murder investigation. Their remand was extended for six days before they were arraigned at a district court in Petaling Jaya on Thursday.

The parents, both 29, pleaded not guilty to the charges, which carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years, a maximum fine of RM50,000 (£8,316), or both.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ku Hayati Ku Haron asked the court to impose additional conditions for the confiscation of the couple’s passports.

Fahmi Abdul Moin, the lawyer representing Mr Ikhwan, said bail was only to ensure attendance and should not be a punishment. “If the accused cannot pay the bail, it violates the principle of innocence until proven guilty.”

“We are demanding a deposit of RM5,000 (£831). We have no problem with the additional conditions,” he said, according to The star.

Mahmud Jumaat, who represented the child’s mother, argued that after the death of her son she was suffering from “severe depression” and therefore “could no longer work”.

“At the same time, she is trying to get treatment for her other son, who has a speech delay and severe autism,” Mr Mahmud told the court.

He also denied earlier allegations that Ms Manaf had recorded a confession, claiming it was merely a statement presented to the judge.

She reportedly told local reporters that her son was last seen by some school children entering the jungle near the building, prompting her to file a police report.

“However, when the fire department and the police dog squad tried to search the area, they said they found no footprints or any evidence that my son was there,” she was quoted as saying by New Straits Times in December as follows:

Zayn Rayya’s grandparents were released on bail on Thursday and ordered to report to the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters every month.

“I am sure that the grandparents will follow the police’s instructions and continue to cooperate closely in the search for the real perpetrator,” their lawyer Fahmi Abd Moin told reporters.