Police and social workers’ fear of being seen as discriminatory may have contributed to the death of a starved toddler who was buried in a garden, a review has suggested.
Abiyah Yasharahyalah, aged three, died in early 2020 from a respiratory illness, worsened by a ‘restricted’ vegan diet which caused severe malnourishment.
A review into his parents’ contact with authorities found there was a lack of curiosity about how their culture and lifestyle might have impacted on his wellbeing, warning that ‘the safeguarding of children being impacted by harmful cultural practice is paramount’.
Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah were jailed for a total of 44 years in December after being convicted of multiple charges including causing or allowing Abiyah’s death and child cruelty by failing to provide adequate nourishment or summon medical care.
The couple, both degree-educated, were obsessed with ‘clean living’ but lived in squalor after turning their back on society.
Jurors heard they survived on only fruit, nuts and seeds having established a ‘kingdom’ in which they lived under their own religion and laws.
The review said the case demonstrated the need for ‘professionals’ involved in safeguarding work such as police, health and social workers to ‘be confident to ask questions about different cultures and belief systems without fear of being perceived as discriminatory’.
It warned: ‘Whilst professionals should have a good understanding of the communities they serve, if any family engages in cultural practices which are harmful to children, this must not be overlooked, and the safeguarding of children being impacted by harmful cultural practice is paramount.’
Abiyah Yasharahyalah, aged three, died in early 2020 from a respiratory illness, worsened by a ‘restricted’ vegan diet which caused severe malnourishment
Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, pictured leaving Coventry Crown Court, were jailed for a total of 44 years in December after being convicted of causing or allowing Abiyah’s death and child cruelty, among other charges
The sign on the front door of the couple’s home in Birmingham
The report by Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership, published yesterday, said Abiyah became ‘invisible and lost from professional view’ following a lack of ‘exploration or curiosity’ by health visitors.
The Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020 likely contributed to the ‘lack of follow-through activity’, it added.
Abiyah’s birth in 2016 was registered, but he was not seen by medics or professionals after 2018 and his death in January 2020 went unnoticed.
Officials only discovered the boy had died almost three years later, after police were asked to conduct a welfare check on the couple.
By the time the couple were arrested in December 2022, Abiyah had been dead two years.
The pair had been living off-grid in a squalid caravan in Somerset with another young child when a social worker came across a social media video posted by Tai in 2016 in which he referred to a child called Abiyah.
Tai, 42, went on to admit that Abiyah was ‘dead in a physical sense’ but claimed he had been reincarnated.
Those words led to the couple’s arrests and soon after, Abiyah’s body was exhumed at the couple’s former address in Birmingham.
Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, 43, said it was now ‘hard to accept that my approach did not lead to the best outcomes for my child and that it took the court process to take me out of that bubble’.
Tai, 42, was jailed for 24-and-a-half years at Coventry Crown Court in December after being convicted of causing the death of Abiyah, child cruelty and perverting the course of justice. He declined to be interviewed for the review
Abiyah Yasharahyalah was found buried in the garden of the couple’s former home in Clarence Road, Handsworth, Birmingham
Abiyah was found to have had severe malnutrition, rickets, anaemia and stunted growth thanks to his limited diet, as well as five fractures that would have caused terrible pain.
The Yasharahyalahs’ trial at Coventry Crown Court heard that while no cause of death was formally established, experts in court said starvation was probably to blame.
Police visited the Handsworth property three times, including in February 2018 when Abiyah was alive.
The review stated that with regard to this visit ‘no details were recorded’ about Abiyah, with his presence ‘almost invisible on review of records’.
Both the mother and father were said to be members of Royal Ahayah’s Witness, described as an ‘obscure religious movement that…is based on the belief that mainstream Christianity is designed to subjugate the Black Community..’
The review said their hostility towards those in authority caused the focus of professionals to be ‘diverted or distracted’ from the children’s welfare while the couple’s numerous name changes and aliases made it more difficult for agencies to track and share information effectively.
It noted that Abiyah ‘was only ever seen by a small number of professionals during his lifetime, and for a limited time only’.
In March 2020, health visitor records said it had been noted at a safeguarding meeting that Abiyah had not been seen by them since his six-week assessment.
The couple filmed themselves dancing with meat cleavers
Pictures from inside the couple’s home in Birmingham showing the squalor they lived in
Authorities showed a ‘general lack of knowledge or assessment of the parents’ belief systems’, leading to an ‘insufficient understanding about the impact’ on his care, the review said.
It added that his parents’ behaviour ‘often distracted or diverted professional attention’ away from his safety and welfare.
As part of the review, the views of both parents were sought. Tai refused to be interviewed but Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, 43, agreed telling the review it was now ‘hard to accept that my approach did not lead to the best outcomes for my child and that it took the court process to take me out of that bubble’.
She said at the time, she did not think Abiyah needed help with any illness.
An NSPCC spokesman said the review ‘brings into sharp focus why it is crucial that professionals demonstrate curiosity and scrutiny.’
