Ibthihaal's murder: mother found guilty, jailed for 20 years

The Criminal Court has sentenced Afiya Mohamed Manik to 20 years in prison, after finding her guilty of murdering her three-year-old son, Mohamed Ibthihaal.

The court issued its verdict in the murder case on Monday, after a summary statement was heard from the defendant and she was found guilty on two charges; charges of deliberate murder and disobedience.

Presiding Judge, Mohamed Sameer had shed light on some of the key findings of the case, noting that Afiya had pled guilty to the toddler's murder in front of court, which is considered a judicial confession, on August 17, 2015. Afiya confessed to having strangled her son to death.

After that, Afiya repeated her confession during a hearing held during September 2016, even having stated that she did not need a lawyer to represent her.

However, Afiya later said that she had not been home when Ibthihaal was murdered. She retracted her confession during a hearing in October 2019, stating that she did not abuse her son and that she was coerced to confess.

During a hearing on 26 February this year, the presiding judge noted that Afiya had refused having killed the child “intentionally” after accusing the doctor of fibbing.

In the verdict hearing, the judge had stated that Afiya had confessed to the accusations, without any coercion and in her own will.

Further, the state prosecutors earlier noted that a psychological assessment was also carried out on Afiya, who is to have a history of sexual abuse which in turn led to severe depression and high levels of anxiety “triggered by the smallest things”. However, mental health expert Dr. Aishath Ali Naaz testified that no mental disorders were observed during the tests, however, Afiya gets fits of “uncontrollable anger” which leads to tantrums, she said.

Dr Naaz testified in court that Afiya murdered her son “with a sound state of mind.”

Judge Sameer went on to note that Afiya herself was subject to abuse in several ways at a younger age, including from her step father, but stressed that this does not exonerate her from her crimes.

Evidence against Afiya proves that Ibthihaal succumbed to injuries inflicted by his mother and that findings prove that the mother had done it with the intension of killing him.

State prosecutors had appealed for the court to impose the highest possible punishment for Afiya, as she is not entitled to a lesser graded punishment since she withdrew her confession. Further, the state prosecutor noted that her punishment increases twofold as the victim is a child and was subject to abuse over the course of several days.

In this regard, although she stood to face a 10-year jail term, it was increased to 15 years and since the crime can be classified a higher graded felony, it punishment was risen to 17 years and six months by the state.

Consecutively, the state prosecutors appealed the court to sentence her the 20 years in prison, after considering more reasons why the crime grade could be increased.

Afiya was subject to childhood sexual abuse and had conceived Ibthihaal out of the abuse inflicted on her.

The toddler was found beaten to death inside his house in Rakeedhoo island of Vaavu atoll in January 2015. His murder had shaken the nation, and details of the case have been as disturbing.