THE mother of the late Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin told the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court today that the WhatsApp message 'lantak la nak hidup ke nak mati' was addressed to herself, not referring to her son.
Ismanira Abdul Manaf said this during the fourth day of her defence trial against a charge of neglecting her six-year-old autistic child in a manner likely to cause him physical harm before Judge Dr Syahliza Warnoh.
Ismanira, 30, said she sent the message to her husband, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, 30, following the loss of their eldest child on December 5, 2023.
"On that day, after realising that the child was missing, I was in a depressed and confused state.
"I sent the message so that my husband would quickly go home to help, the message was not meant to be addressed to Zayn Rayyan but to myself," she said when questioned by lawyer, Haresh Mahadevan.
The mother of two said that such words were used because she wanted to get her husband's attention.
During the proceedings on April 7, Assistant Superintendent Mohd Zaidi Abu Hassan revealed to the court that the message was among the WhatsApp content successfully extracted from the seized mobile phone.
According to Mohd Zaidi, forensic analysis found that the conversation was obtained from two phone numbers belonging to the couple, an iPhone using iCloud registered in Ismanira's name and a Huawei phone using a Google account in the name of her husband, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari.
The prosecution previously submitted the conversation as evidence that is one of the important reference materials in this case.
The proceedings will continue on August 4.
Ismanira is currently defending herself on a charge of neglecting her child with her husband, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, 30, under Section 31(1)(a) of the Children Act 2001 read with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which provides for a prison sentence of up to 20 years or a fine of up to RM50,000 or both if convicted.
However, the court last Monday decided to acquit Zaim Ikhwan of the charges after finding that there was no prima facie case against him. – July 24, 2025
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