KUALA LUMPUR: The lawyer representing the father of dead autistic boy Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin will advise his client to lodge a police report against a whistleblower group for distributing false allegations.
Fahmi Abd Moin said he took the matter seriously and would discuss matters with his clients and get their instructions.
This comes after the group, Edisi Siasat, had posted what it claims was a record of statements taken by police from Zayn Rayyan's parents, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari and Ismanira Abdul Manaf, in its Telegram group.
"I will discuss further with the family and advise lodging a police report against Edisi Siasat," he told the New Straits Times when asked to respond to the alleged leaked documents.
Meanwhile, Fahmi also refuted claims from online portals suggesting that he had advised his clients to seek additional police protection.
"I did not give any statements regarding additional protection, contrary to what has been reported in the portals," he said.
On a related matter, he said that even though freedom of speech is secured under the Federal Constitution, it must be used wisely and within the scope of laws pertaining to it.
The NST has also reached out to the lawyer representing Ismanira, but has yet to receive any response.
Earlier, federal Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain had said police would collaborate with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to investigate the dissemination of purported investigation details linked to Zayn Rayyan's murder on social media platforms.
He said disseminating unverified information was an extremely irresponsible act and police would ask MCMC to block such posts and messages as they could disrupt the proceedings of the current and any future trials.
Yesterday, Zayn Rayyan's parents were jointly charged at the Sessions Court with neglect of their 6-year-old son which may have caused him physical injury last year.
Zaim and Ismanira, both 29, pleaded not guilty before judge Dr Syahliza Warnoh.
The charge was framed under Section 31 (1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, and is punishable under Section 31(1) of the same, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.
If convicted, they face a maximum fine of RM50,000 or jail not more than 20 years or both.
Zayn Rayyan was reported missing on Dec 5 last year. His body was found a day later, some 200m from the apartment block where the family lived.
On May 31, his parents were arrested, with police obtaining a week-long remand order the following day.
This was followed by a six-day extension to the remand order, at the end of which the parents were charged.
