A reclusive couple who buried the body of their three-year-old son in their backyard after he failed to seek medical attention when he fell ill have been found guilty of causing or allowing his death.
Abiyah Yasharahyalah's skeletal remains were discovered by police at his parents' home in Handsworth, Birmingham, in December 2022. He suffered from inadequate nutrition and received no medical attention, despite being in “significant pain”.
A trial at Coventry Crown Court was told Abiyah died of a respiratory illness at a time when he was suffering from broken bones, severe malnutrition, rickets, anemia, stunted growth and severe tooth decay.
A sign on the front door of the couple's home warns people to stay away (PA)
Examination of his remains revealed that he had suffered five broken bones, including a broken arm that led to a “false joint,” and rib fractures.
His parents, Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, 42 and 43, were motivated by a belief system that includes a restrictive vegan diet and a desire to avoid unwanted attention, and had established their own “kingdom,” prosecutors said.
A two-month trial was told that London-born Tai, a medical genetics graduate who also used the first name Tai-Zamarai, and Naiyahmi, a former shop worker, shunned mainstream society and were eventually arrested in December 2022 while in a caravan lived. in Somerset.
Police visited the property on Clarence Road in Handsworth three times: in February 2018 when Abiyah was still alive, again in September 2021 after his death, and then in March 2022 to assist in the couple's eviction for non-payment of rent .
On the second occasion, police bodycam footage recorded officers asking if a child lived at the address and Tai becoming aggressive and being arrested for obstruction.
The welfare check did not result in Abiyah being identified as missing due to confusion over the details regarding the address.
After his death, the couple did not notify the authorities, and his body was left at the property for eight days before they embalmed his body with frankincense and myrrh and buried him in the garden.
In testimony, Mr Yasharahyalah said the couple “tried to preserve the soul of Abiyah” as they performed the ritual, which is in line with the customs of Nigeria's Igbo culture.
Tai (right) and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah had not sought medical help for their son after putting him on a restrictive diet (PA)
Prosecutor John Hankin KC told jurors the couple was willing to let their child “suffer the consequences” of inadequate nutrition and a lack of medical or dental care.
“They acted together,” he said. “They shared parental responsibility, they shared their belief system.
“One parent could not have secretly buried Abiyah's body in the garden without the support of the other. Each played a role in burying Abiya or agreeing to his burial.”
Mr Hankin also said the couple's argument that Abiyah was symptom-free before his death, apart from a cold illness, was “for the birds”.
Mr Hankin continued: “He must have been in very significant pain from the time the injury was sustained and for several weeks afterwards.
“Neither defendant could satisfactorily explain why emergency services were not called.”
Both parents must have realized Abiyah was not getting enough nutrition and needed medical care but chose not to provide it, it was claimed.
The kitchen of the couple's home in Handsworth after police arrested them (PA)
“Neither of them are stupid,” Hankin said. “They were zealous in their faith.”
Although he had studied immunology and how diseases affect genes before graduating from Queen Mary University of London, Tai claimed he was unaware of the risks of a strict, unsupplemented vegan diet.
By the time they were questioned by police, Tai had barely been able to walk due to withdrawal from society and social services, and Naiyahmi could still stand but could no longer walk, the court heard.
Referring to a comment by Abiyah's mother that “nature has a way of doing things,” he said: “That's their attitude: 'We are right and nature will decide.'
“It is breathtaking arrogance and cruelty,” he added.
In his defense, jurors heard that when Abiyah fell ill with the symptoms of a cold in January 2020, the couple treated him with natural remedies, including raw garlic and “various other pastes”, in what did not appear to be an emergency at the time. .
The Yasharahyalahs had denied causing or allowing the death of a child and neglecting and perverting the course of justice.
