Father of Buried Boy Details ‘Conspiracy Spiral’ in Court

Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, aged 42 and 43, have denied charges of causing or allowing the death of their three-year-old son, Abiyah Yasharahyalah. The boy’s father testified before a jury that he experienced a “spiral of conspiracy” during his studies for a degree in London. Abiyah was discovered buried in a back garden in Handsworth, Birmingham, in December 2022. During his testimony on Thursday at Coventry Crown Court, Mr. Yasharahyalah recounted having a spiritual awakening in 2007 while studying. The father, who was born in London and spent a significant portion of his childhood in Nigeria, informed the court that he increasingly engaged with conspiracy theories while pursuing a medical genetics degree in London. He stated to the court that he sought to “find some sense” in life, and jurors were told that online research consumed “most” of his time. Seven years later, he adopted a vegan lifestyle and began researching Igbo culture, which encompasses the customs of a community residing in southeastern Nigeria. He explained that delving into the history of his people initiated “another spiral of resentment.” Subsequently, he changed his name and relocated to Birmingham, where he soon after met his wife at a local music event. The couple commenced a relationship and married in 2015, prior to Mrs. Yasharahyalah’s pregnancy with Abiyah. Mr. Yasharahyalah informed the court of the couple’s intention to pursue a polyamorous relationship, aiming to establish a “community of families.” He moved to London to “propagate” his culture, and there he encountered a woman who subsequently became a “sister wife,” eventually moving into the couple’s Birmingham residence. The court had previously been informed by the prosecution that Abiyah’s death occurred between December 2019 and January 2020, at which point he would have been approximately three years and nine months old. The prosecution asserts that the boy was found to be “severely malnourished,” suffering from broken bones, rickets, anaemia, dental disease, and stunted growth. Mr. and Mrs. Yasharahyalah also face accusations of neglect and perverting the course of justice. The trial is ongoing.