November 25th 2024.
The court has heard that Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, the parents of three-year-old Abiyah, are accused of causing or allowing their son's death. The young boy's skeletal remains were discovered in a garden behind their previous residence in Birmingham in December 2022. The prosecutors have stated that Abiyah's body showed signs of severe neglect, including malnutrition, broken bones, rickets, anaemia, stunted growth, bone deformities, and dental disease.
According to the prosecution, Abiyah passed away in late 2019 or early 2020 due to chronic malnutrition, which his parents had subjected him to. The Yasharahyalahs had isolated themselves from society and moved into a caravan, where they followed an extremely strict vegan diet. This diet excluded any processed or fortified foods, including baby formula and common staples like wheat flour. The couple also rejected the welfare state and refused to accept any benefits, plunging themselves into poverty, isolation, and poor health.
Abiyah's body was discovered buried behind the family's property in Birmingham's Handsworth area. The Yasharahyalahs have been accused of not seeking medical help for Abiyah as it would have gone against their zealous beliefs and may have raised concerns about their neglect. The couple claims that their son died after catching a cold or flu, which they tried to treat with raw ginger and garlic. Mr. Yasharahyalah told the court that he found his son lifeless on his chest one morning. He attempted CPR but realized that Abiyah's physical form had already passed away. The couple insists that their son had not shown any signs of illness prior to this sudden event.
Instead of seeking help, the Yasharahyalahs kept Abiyah's body at home for eight days and placed a paraffin lamp next to it, believing that his spirit may want to return to his body. They did not call for emergency services as they feared strangers may scare away their son's spirit. After eight days, the couple embalmed Abiyah's body with frankincense and myrrh and buried him in the garden. They claimed that this was part of a ritual that would allow him to be reincarnated, in accordance with the beliefs of Nigeria's Igbo culture, where Mr. Yasharahyalah spent most of his childhood.
The prosecution argued that the Yasharahyalahs' conscious decisions to reject medical assistance and proper nutrition led to poverty, isolation, and poor health. They pointed out that seeking medical help and obtaining extra food would have been easy for the couple. However, they chose to follow their belief system and avoid unwanted attention, which could have investigated their misconduct.
Naiyahmi had stated in her police interview that "nature has a way of doing things," and they may have been getting in the way of it. The prosecution countered this by saying that this attitude was a display of their arrogance and cruelty. Motivated by their beliefs and a desire to avoid unwanted attention, the Yasharahyalahs were prepared to let their child suffer the consequences of inadequate nutrition and lack of medical and dental care.
The couple did not register Abiyah's death, nor did they inform the authorities or any other family members. They deny the charges of causing or allowing the death of a child, child cruelty, and perverting the course of justice. The trial continues.
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