Couple who had 'strict vegan diet' buried 'malnourished' child in garden, trial told

Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah stand accused of causing or allowing Abiyah's death, alongside neglect, cruelty and perverting the course of justice

A couple whose 'severely malnourished' child was found buried in a Birmingham garden followed a strict vegan diet, described themselves as 'indigenous' and claimed to have renounced their citizenship, a trial was told. Parents Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah are accused of causing or allowing their son's death, alongside neglect, cruelty and perverting the course of justice.

Police began an investigation when the remains of their son, four-year-old Abiyah Yasharahyalah, were discovered at their rented home in Clarence Road, Handsworth, in December 2022. They claimed the boy, whose birth and death were not registered, died from an illness years earlier, some time in 2020, the court heard.

The court heard his 42-year-old dad told interviewing police Abiyah had fallen ill with what they believed was a cold or flu - which they were treating naturally with raw ginger and garlic. The following morning, 'he was found lifeless and CPR attempts' by Tai Yasharahyalah failed to revive him, Coventry Crown Court was told.

Read more: Parents on trial accused of child cruelty and neglect as dead son, four, buried in Handsworth garden

Abiyah was 'kept in their bed for several days' while Tai Yasharahyalah carried out an 'eight-day ritual' with the hopes he would 'come back', jurors were told. He was then embalmed with Frankincense and Myrrh before the couple held a private burial, the court heard.

When his body was later exhumed, it was found Abiyah suffered from "severe malnutrition", along with fractures and a number of health conditions, the court heard. The couple themselves were described as thin and weak due to their diet, with 43-year-old Naiyahmi said to be "skeletal" during their first police interview, the court was told.

Opening the case on Tuesday (Oct 8), prosecutor Jonas Hankin KC claimed the couple had "separately and together neglected" Abiyah by failing to provide him with adequate nutrition and medical care. Mr Hankin said: "The prosecution case put simply, is that the defendants, separately and together, neglected their child and they did so by failing to provide them with adequate food, and failed to provide them with medical care.

"They deliberately chose not to provide or arrange for the provision of adequate nutrition and medical care. Instead they prioritised their cultural practices and beliefs over the child's welfare, with disastrous consequences.

"The defendants claim that their behaviour throughout was in accordance with their cultural beliefs, principally their strict veganism, and rejection of Western medicine." His death had, up until December, been "concealed from the authorities and the defendants had buried his body in the garden," Mr Hankin said.

He added: "When in December 2022, his body was exhumed, he was found to have been suffering from severe malnutrition. In summary, as far as it's possible to ascertain given the decomposition, he was found to have suffered from rickets, anaemia, stunted growth, bone malformation and deformity. He had sustained fractures in life."

Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah was born in Moseley and met Tai Yasharahyalah, born in Peckham, in 2015, the court heard. Before Abiyah's body was found, the pair, who did not work, had been evicted due to rent arrears at the rented property in Clarence Road.

They left his remains behind in the garden when they moved to a shipping container, and subsequently a caravan, in Glastonbury, jurors heard. The pair were said to have been living unconventionally and claimed to have renounced their citizenship, Mr Hankin told the court.

"They lived increasingly unconventionally, styling themselves as 'sovereign and indigenous members of the Kingdom of Yasharahyalah.' They did not work, they relied largely upon the charity of others, they did not consider themselves to be 'contracted' - their word - to the state and they claimed, unilaterally, to have renounced themselves from their citizenship," he said.

"They preferred a mixture of alternative and traditional medicinal practices involving a mix of herbs and superstition. Their diet was strictly vegan and, as their beliefs became more entrenched, their food supply diminished and their diet became increasingly restricted."

They had "cut out all processed foods" and were restricted in their diet, with Naiyahmi mainly eating raisins, nuts, fruits and vegetables, the court heard. Referring to their police interviews, Mr Hankin added: "Officers observed that they were extremely thin, that their bones were prominent and visible through their clothing. Naiyahmi was described as being skeletal.

"It was her observation that she couldn't walk. She was very slow in moving from the caravan to the police car. He was in a similar condition. He was observed to shuffle rather than to walk when he was seen moving around."

The trial continues.