‘Fantasist’ parents who ‘starved, embalmed and buried’ son, 3, unanimously found guilty
An “arrogant, fantasist” couple have been unanimously found guilty of causing or allowing the death of their three-year-old son through severe neglect.
Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah were convicted at court on Thursday following more than 21 hours of jury deliberations over five days.
The pair were found guilty of neglect, perverting the course of justice and causing or allowing death after their son Abiyah died from a respiratory illness at their Birmingham home.
The couple kept Abiyah’s body in their bed for eight days after his death at the start of the Covid pandemic in early 2020.
They then “embalmed” his remains and buried him in an 80cm-deep grave at their home in Clarence Road, Handsworth, Birmingham.
The body was not discovered until December 2022, after the couple was arrested while living in a caravan in Somerset.
Former fitness instructor Tai, 42, told police he had carried out an “eight-day ritual” hoping Abiyah would “come back” before deciding to conduct a burial in accordance with his culture.
Post-mortem examinations revealed Abiyah was severely malnourished due to a “restricted” vegan diet, suffering from rickets, anaemia and stunted growth.
The toddler’s remains were described as “skeletal” and showed signs of severe dental decay.
Medical tests also uncovered six fractures to his right arm, legs and ribs, which experts suggested may have been caused by a fall approximately six weeks before his death.
While the exact cause of death could not be determined due to decomposition of soft tissue, experts stated that malnutrition would have been a “more than minimal” factor if he died from respiratory illness.
The couple had opted out of mainstream society, with Tai telling police they had renounced British citizenship and lived an “off-grid” existence.
They met while Tai was busking in Birmingham, where he introduced himself to his future wife – then known as Donna Graham – as the “King” of the Kingdom of Yasharahyalah.
The pair married in September 2015 and created their own belief system incorporating aspects of Nigerian Igbo culture, the court was told.
Instead of seeking medical help when Abiyah fell ill, they attempted to treat him with garlic and ginger.
The couple survived on “the generosity of others”, living in a shipping container before moving to a caravan in Somerset.
Prosecutor Jonas Hankin KC told Coventry Crown Court that Abiyah “started life small but normal, and over time he became abnormally small”, arguing these changes would have been obvious to his parents.
“It is breathtaking arrogance and cruelty,” Hankin said of the couple’s attitude that “nature has a way of doing things”.
Detective Inspector Joe Davenport described Tai as “a very arrogant man, a fantasist, and someone who looked to manipulate people”.
He added that Naiyahmi was “incredibly weak-minded to put her love of Tai-Zamarai ahead of the needs of her own child”.
The couple will be sentenced next Thursday.