High Court upholds mother’s conviction and prison sentence for child neglect

In a decision delivered today, the Shah Alam High Court upheld the conviction and imprisonment of Ismanira Abdul Manaf for child neglect. Judge Noor Hisham Ismail concluded that the lower court’s verdict contained no appealable mistakes after reviewing the case files and submissions from both sides. The 31-year-old mother had been charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 for neglecting her six-year-old autistic son, Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin.

Zayn vanished and was later found dead near a stream, with injuries to his neck and body. A forensic examination classified the death as murder. The high court’s affirmation means the original jail term remains in force.