PETALING JAYA: The parents of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin had no shared intent to neglect him, as alleged in the charges, their defence lawyers said.

In the written submission filed on May 23 by the legal firm Haresh Mahadevan & Co and obtained by the media, the defence argued that the accused, Ismanira Abdul Manaf, was always attentive to her autistic son, relying on her sense of hearing to monitor him in a way suited to his needs at the material time.

It also said that Ismanira's emotional reaction, crying when Zayn Rayyan's body was found in a stream near the Idaman Apartment, Damansara Damai, was consistent with the behaviour of someone innocent.

According to the defence, this reaction was based on the testimony of the fourth prosecution witness (SP4), Inspector Nina Syamimi Syamsuddin, who confirmed that Ismanira had cried when the body was found on Dec 6, 2023.