PETALING JAYA – A specialist doctor who conducted the post-mortem examination on the body of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin told the Sessions Court, here, today that the autistic boy’s cause of death was due to strangulation.
Forensic medical consultant specialist from the Pasir Gudang Hospital forensic medicine department Dr Rohayu Shahar Adnan said this during the trial of Zayn Rayyan's parents, Ismanira Abdul Manaf and Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, both 30, who are facing charges of neglecting their son.
The 27th prosecution witness, said the findings were made based on the autopsy conducted while she was serving at the Sungai Buloh Hospital at noon on Dec 7, 2023.
Responding to deputy public prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin's questions, Dr Rohayu, 54, said strangulation of the neck could occur using a rope, lanyard, or twisted cloth and was not due to drowning.
Reading her witness statement, the doctor said based on the deceased’s body, signs of strangulation were visible from bruising on the neck and thyroid glands.
"This indicates the act was forceful enough to block oxygen from reaching the lungs and brain, ultimately suffocating the victim to death.
"There were overlapping strangulation marks on the neck located six centimetres below both the right and left ears, and the muscles and thyroid glands beneath the marks were also bruised," she said.
She testified that the autopsy also revealed evidence of both blunt and sharp force trauma.
Dr Rohayu who worked in forensic medicine since 2003 said foreign objects were found in Zayn Rayyan’s respiratory tract and stomach.
She said the palate of the child was also bruised, indicating that the foreign object was forcibly inserted into the mouth.
However, she added that the foreign object did not cause the death, as the cause of death was not choking.
She also testified that there were tears and abrasions in the rectal area of the child due to the insertion of a blunt object, but these were not fatal.
"There were signs of blunt trauma such as bruising around the eyes, forehead, lips, back of the head, jaw, neck, back of the right shoulder, between the shoulder blades, back, chest, abdomen, right side of the body and both arms.
"There were also incisions, stabs and cuts on the left ear extending to the back of the head on the left side," said the witness, who is also an honorary lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).
She added that incisions were also discovered at the right side of the back of the head, on the upper right arm and on the lower right arm.
She said these blunt and sharp trauma injuries were not fatal but constituted physical abuse against the victim.
The injuries, she testified were recent, as there were signs of the body’s immune system responding which was visible through microscopic examination.
The wrinkles on the palms and soles of the feet only indicated contact or immersion in water and were not the cause of death, as Zayn Rayyan did not drown.
"The body of the deceased had begun to decompose, as seen by the greenish skin, peeling and bloated abdomen.
"There were no defence wounds or injuries from punching or kicking observed on the victim," she said, adding that no serious disease was found in the internal organs.
On June 13 last year, the couple pleaded not guilty to a charge of neglecting their six-year-old autistic son in a manner likely to cause him physical harm between noon on Dec 5 and 9.55 pm on Dec 6, 2023, at Jalan PJU Damansara Damai.
The charge, framed under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 and punishable under Section 31(1) of the same Act, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, carries a maximum fine of RM50,000, imprisonment of up to 20 years, or both, upon conviction.
On Dec 6, 2023, Zayn Rayyan's body was discovered in a stream near his home at Apartment Idaman, Damansara Damai, a day after he was reported missing.
The child is believed to have been murdered, with a post-mortem revealing injuries to his neck and body consistent with self-defence wounds.
The trial before judge Dr Syahliza Warnoh continues tomorrow.