KOTA KINABALU: A security guard told the Coroner’s Court here on Wednesday (Sept 10) that she found the late Zara Qairina Mahathir lying on her back in a drain, unconscious and with her head bleeding, at about 3am on July 16.
Linah Mansoding @ Jaliha, 65, who has served at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar since July 1, 2012, said that on the day of the incident, at about 2am, she was patrolling the female hostel and found no unusual incidents.
"I then proceeded to the adjacent hostel block which is also a female hostel, to continue my patrol," said the mother of four, who was on duty from 8pm on July 15 until 8am on July 16.
According to Linah, at around 3am while she was at the adjacent block, she was informed by a student that a female student had fainted in the drain near the building where she had been patrolling earlier.
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The witness said this while reading her statement before Coroner Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan on the fifth day of the inquest proceedings into the teenager’s death.
"I immediately rushed to the hostel and found Zara lying on her back in the hostel drain unconscious," said the woman.
Linah added that she saw blood on the back of Zara's head and on part of her leg, and immediately took a photo, which she later shared with the four teachers and the chief warden when requested.
She added that the phone used to take the photo was handed to Papar police at the end of July, though Linah could not recall the exact date.
According to the sixth witness, she then promptly contacted the Head Warden of the hostel, Azhari Abd Sagap, and informed him of the incident, before taking a picture of the victim lying in the drain.
"After Ustaz Azhari arrived at the scene, he immediately contacted the hospital, and an ambulance arrived at about 4am. The student was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment," Linah said.
The woman also confirmed that there were no closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at the hostel block, and no grilles (iron bars) fitted along the hostel building corridors.
When questioned by Zara’s family lawyer Shahlan Jufri about whether students were allowed to call their parents after the incident, she said this was not possible because the chief warden had switched off the six available public phones for two days.
The court adjourned proceedings at 12.45pm, with the coroner reminding Linah not to communicate about her testimony with teachers, wardens, or others in the school, except for work matters.
