A COUPLE have been convicted over the death of their son after they embalmed him and buried him in the back garden.
Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah neglected their son Abiyah by failing to provide adequate food for the four-year-old.
The couple, who were described as weak and thin due to their strict vegan diet, left the youngster “severely malnourished”.
Mum Naiyahmi mainly ate raisins and nuts and after “cutting out all processed food”, the family’s food supplies “diminished”.
Abiyah suffered from rickets, anaemia, stunted growth, bone malformation and deformity in his short life.
His remains were discovered in the garden of his home in Birmingham in December 2022.
The couple have now been convicted of causing or allowing his death following a harrowing trial.
They were also found guilty of child cruelty after failing to provide adequate nutrition or medical care and perverting the course of justice.
Coventry Crown Court was told Abiyah had fallen ill with a cold or flu in 2020, which his parents treated naturally with raw ginger and garlic.
He was discovered lifeless the following morning but his mum and dad kept him in their bed for eight days for a “ritual”.
Tai Yasharahyalah hoped his son would “come back” before embalming him with frankincense and myrrh.
Abiyah’s body was exhumed two years later, with police discovering his birth and death had not been registered.
The couple had been evicted from the rented property but left their son’s remains in the back garden, the court heard.
When they were eventually found by police in a caravan in Glastonbury, they said they had renounced their citizenship and were living as “sovereign and indigenous members of the Kingdom of Yasharahyalah”.
Officers observed they were both “extremely thin” with their bones visible through their clothing.
Mum Naiyahmi in particular struggled to walk and was described by police as “skeletal”.
Prosecutor Jonas Hankin KC claimed the couple had “separately and together neglected” Abiyah by failing to provide him with adequate food and medical care.
He added: “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.”
The couple will be sentenced on a later date.
PAThe couple have been convicted over their son’s death[/caption]
BPMAbiyah’s body was found in the back garden[/caption]