Ismanira Abdul Manaf, 30, said she was pressured into admitting guilt when she was brought before a magistrate for a remand order.

Under examination-in-chief by her lawyer Haresh Mahadevan, Ismanira claimed that officers coerced her into confessing before magistrate Zhafran Rahim Hamzah.

“I told the magistrate I was not willing to be there before him. The police forced and threatened me to admit to the murder.

“The magistrate recorded a not guilty plea,” she said in court today.

She also claimed that during the 13-day remand period, police were unhappy with her answers despite her giving her full cooperation.

“They created a story saying that I found my son, then killed him. I denied it, but they weren’t satisfied.”

Ismanira claimed she was beaten and threatened by the officers who were unhappy with her denial during the interrogation, which allegedly took place at a safe house.

She also alleged that while some officers had pressured her to confess, others were sympathetic.

“Some told me they knew I was innocent, but they had to follow orders. They asked me to be patient until the remand ended,” she said.

Ismanira was ordered to enter her defence yesterday while her husband, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, was acquitted of the same charge.

Ismanira and Zaim were charged last year with neglecting Zayn in a manner likely to cause him physical harm.

The offence allegedly occurred at PJU Damansara Damai between noon on Dec 5, 2023 – when the boy was said to have gone missing – and 9.55pm the following day, when his body was discovered in a stream near his home at Apartment Idaman, Damansara Damai.

The couple was also represented by Ramzani Idris and Lavanesh Haresh.

Deputy public prosecutors Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin, Aqharie Durranie Aziz, and Nur Sabrina Zubairi conducted the prosecution.

The trial before judge Syahliza Warnoh continues.