PETALING JAYA – Being in police custody since June 1 has taken a toll on the parents of 6-year-old Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin, as Zaim Ikhwan Zahari and Ismanira Abdul Manaf were visibly distressed in court here today.
Defence counsel Ilyani Khuzairi said the couple insisted that “the killer is out there”, and they looked depressed and were in tears.
“We managed to talk to the parents this morning and Zayn’s father seems to be in a very, very depressed state. We could see it on his face… he cried when we asked questions and often said, ‘the killer is still out there’.
“Zayn’s mother seems visibly sad and in distress… she didn’t talk much. Perhaps she is still in shock and stress, being under remand for the last seven days.
“However, they said they were being treated well by the police while in custody. They remain hopeful that this case can be solved, and they can get justice for their son,” she said.
Ilyani and lawyer Fahmi Abd Moin only met the couple this morning at the courthouse here, even though the lawyers were appointed three days ago.
She also said she had sent a letter to the police as well as made an application before magistrate Ainaa Muhamad Kamal to see the couple while they were under remand.
However, she said, she has yet to hear any response from the police.
“The police, during proceedings today, said they will have to consider the situation before deciding whether we can see our clients.”
Earlier, the magistrate allowed the police’s application to extend remand on Zayn’s parents until June 13. Originally, their remand order was to conclude today.
Meanwhile, Zayn’s paternal grandfather, Zahari Mohd Reba, affirmed his hope to the press for justice to be served to his family.
“All this time, I have been praying for justice for my grandson Zayn and his parents.”
Zahari also cleared up the confusion surrounding the recent appointment of lawyers to represent Zayn’s parents, saying that the previous lawyer, Mahmud Abdul Jumaat, was never officially appointed.
“I was not home when they were arrested (on May 31) so some non-governmental organisation had taken the initiative to look and appoint a lawyer for them at that time.
“So, Mahmud had gone through with the court proceedings (when they were remanded) and I met him last Monday (June 3)… actually, there was never any official letter regarding Mahmud’s appointment as our lawyer.
“Then I met with Fahmi Abd Moin and appointed him as our lawyer. It’s all just a misunderstanding between Mahmud and the media, there was no issue involving his withdrawal as our lawyer.”
Mahmud, on June 4, announced that he was no longer representing the couple due to “unavoidable circumstances”.
On December 6, last year, Zayn’s body was found in a creek about 200m from his family’s home at Idaman Apartment, Damansara Damai.
The victim’s murder was confirmed after an autopsy revealed injuries to his neck and body.
The day before, police confirmed they had received a report on the child’s disappearance from his family. – June 7, 2024