KOTA KINABALU: The Coroner’s Court here heard an audio recording of the late 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir telling her mother that she was allegedly threatened by a senior student, known as Kak M.
Her mother Noraidah Lamat was heard advising her daughter to lodge a complaint with the dormitory warden.
However, chief warden Azhari Abd Sagap told the court yesterday that neither Zara Qairina nor her mother had ever lodged a complaint about bullying.
Azhari said he only became aware of the allegations through Noraidah’s TikTok post, in which she claimed to know the names of students her daughter had mentioned.
Azhari, the eighth witness in the inquest into the teenager’s death, said that during his meeting with Noraidah at the hospital emergency unit on July 16, she only spoke about Zara Qairina’s cheerful nature and passion for writing.
He also denied knowing about a remark allegedly made by Kak M, “Kalau saya touch-touch, berdarah kau ni” (If I touch you, you will bleed) in a viral video.
“If there was no complaint from Zara Qairina, there should have been one from her mother, but there was not. I even checked with the official teachers’ group, but there were no reports at all,” he said.
The warden became emotional when questioned about the heavy criticism online, accusing him and the school of a cover-up.
Fighting back tears, he said: “If we wanted to protect bullies or murderers, I would not have told the police what happened on July 15.
“I reported it on the night of July 16, before Zara Qairina’s mother made her second police report.
“I personally dealt with the police and complied with everything, including handing the Kak M audio.”
Azhari explained that Kak M was not the first student to find Zara Qairina lying on the ground, stressing that the senior was unfairly criticised.
He also recounted his own efforts to save the girl, from calling emergency services to accompanying her family at the hospital, leading prayers and attending the burial.
“We hid nothing... we gave the police everything, including the audio,” he said.
Azhari said the incident left many traumatised, including student leaders who confronted Zara Qairina on July 15 after she was accused of stealing a purse containing RM300. The teenager had denied the allegation.
He testified that school action against the students was limited to taking statements and counselling, while one of the students later transferred out of SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha.
Others, however, remained in their leadership roles and dormitories.
The inquest also heard that Zara Qairina’s personal “Love and Peace” diary and belongings were later handed over to police.
Fifteen loose sheets containing her reflections were found separately on a classroom bookshelf, which lawyer Shahlan Jufri, who represented Noraidah, described as “highly unusual”.
Azhari also said he was unaware of graffiti in the school’s Design and Technology room that read “Zara Qairina perasan cantik” (Zara Qairina thinks she’s pretty), until the matter surfaced in the same viral audio.
He confirmed that some students were left traumatised after Zara Qairina’s death, especially those who had helped carry her, while others reported emotional distress from being taunted as “bullies” and “murderers” by passers-by outside the school.
Zara Qairina was rushed to hospital after being found unconscious in a drain near the hostel of SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar on July 16. She died the following day.
The inquest, presided over by Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan, continues.
