Kuala Lumpur: The Sessions Court here was told today that traces of blood found in a room at the home where the late Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin lived belonged to the autistic child.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, ASP Mohd Hafizee Ismail, 38, previously a senior criminal investigation officer at the Petaling Jaya District Police Headquarters (IPD), stated that the finding was based on a chemical report from a sternum bone specimen, which matched the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of the deceased.
‘This chemical report was issued by chemist Nor Aidora Saedon and matched the DNA profile obtained from the bone specimen labelled Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin,’ Mohd Hafizee explained when questioned by Judge Dr Syahliza Warnoh about the identity of the person whose blood was found in the room.
Mohd Hafizee, who is currently serving as an Operations Intelligence Officer with the Criminal Investigation Department at the Klang South IPD, further elaborated that the blood in the bathroom belonged to the first accused, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, while the blood in the room belonged to the deceased, Zayn Rayyan.
The 28th prosecution witness was resuming his testimony on the 18th day of the trial against Zayn Rayyan’s parents, Ismanira Abdul Manaf and Zaim Ikhwan, who are facing charges of neglect.
Previously, Mohd Hafizee had informed the court that blood stains were discovered in the room and bathroom of Zayn Rayyan’s house during a forensic luminol test conducted at the child’s residence in Block R, Idaman Apartment, Damansara Damai. However, the identity of the blood found in the room had not been disclosed at that time.
In response to a query from Deputy Public Prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin regarding soil samples sent to the Chemistry Department, Mohd Hafizee revealed that the results were negative as the soil originated from different sources. He had previously instructed the forensic team to collect soil samples from the vicinity of where the body was found for analysis after observing a pair of black shoes with mud stains next to a refrigerator in a room in front of the kitchen.
When questioned about further investigations into the deceased’s babysitter, Auni Afiqah Abas, Mohd Hafizee responded, stating that based on Auni’s testimony as the 17th prosecution witness, she claimed she heard a voice resembling Zayn Rayyan attempting to break free, but she failed to conclusively identify the voice as belonging to the deceased.
Mohd Hafizee noted that the second accused, Ismanira, would routinely send Zayn Rayyan and his younger sibling to Auni’s house daily.
In response to a question from Raja Zaizul Faridah regarding the deceased’s birth certificate, which listed Zayn Rayyan bin Abdul Matin instead of Zaim Ikhwan Zahari as the father, Mohd Hafizee explained that his investigation revealed that Zaim Ikhwan and Ismanira were married in Narathiwat, Thailand in June 2016, but delayed registering the marriage in Malaysia. Consequently, the deceased’s patronymic was based on one of the 99 names of Allah.
Ismanira and Zaim Ikhwan, both aged 30, stand accused of neglecting Zayn Rayyan in a manner likely to cause physical injury to the victim around Block R, Idaman Apartment, Damansara Damai, extending to a nearby river between noon on Dec 5 and 9:55 pm on Dec 6, 2023.
They face charges under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, read with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment or a fine of RM50,000 or both upon conviction.
On Dec 6, 2023, Zayn Rayyan’s body was discovered in a stream near his home after he was reported missing the previous day.
The trial is set to continue tomorrow.