KOTA KINABALU: Pathologists have assessed every injury found on the body of Form 1 student Zara Qairina Mahathir during an eight-hour marathon post-mortem, says her family lawyer Shahlan Jufri.
He said each injury was evaluated step by step at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital I (QEH1) here by a team of forensic experts and he was briefed on the nature of the injuries found during the autopsy on Sunday.
Shahlan said he was called in every time they found an injury with specialists giving their views and explanation to each injury.
“Every injury was looked at and assessed,” he said, adding that he took note of the injuries that were highlighted by Dr Jessie Hui (Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1) and forensic pathology consultant Dr Khairul Anuar Zainun from Sultan Idris Shah Hospital in Serdang, Selangor.
“I witnessed the post-mortem process right to the end as the pathologist checked through every part of the body including internal organs,” he said.
Zara Qairina was found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory from an apparent fall from the third floor of her hostel in Papar district on July 16.
She died the next day at the QEH1 here and buried at her hometown in Sipitang district.
However, there had been doubts over the circumstances leading to her death with questions raised about the possibility of her being a victim of school bullying.
Her mother Noraidah Lamat, 45, subsequently through her lawyers raised questions about the thoroughness of the police investigation as no autopsy was carried out.
Last Friday, the Attorney-General’s Chambers told the police to exhume the body so that a post-mortem could be carried out.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Shahlan said the autopsy was done in a transparent manner with no “unseen hands” trying to interfere as alleged by some on social media.
For now, they would have to wait for a full report by the forensic team, said Shahlan, who together with legal partner Hamid Ismail was appointed by Noraidah to represent her family.
To a question on the possibility of criminal elements, he said: “I can’t comment on this as it’s still under investigation.”
He also said the autopsy report was not a public document but it would be revealed in court if an inquest was held.
(An inquest is only held by a Special Coroner’s Court to establish facts that led a sudden death that remained unexplained. A coroner has to decide whether there is a criminal element in the case of the death.)
A Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department task force has been formed to take over the investigation into Zara Qairina’s death.
Inspector-General of Police secretariat (corporate communication) said the task force consisting of nine officers and personnel had been deployed to Sabah.
“The task force is part of the police’s commitment to ensure the investigation is conducted transparently and thoroughly,” the secretariat said yesterday.
The remains of 13-year-old Zara Qairina were reburied at the Tanjung Ubi Islamic cemetery in Kg Mesapol in Sipitang following the autopsy.
According to family members, the final rites for the student was completed at around 1.45am yesterday amid a drizzle.
Despite the rain, family members, friends and residents turned up to pay their last respects.
