KOTA KINABALU: The inquest into the death of teenager Zara Qairina Mahathir was stopped yesterday after parts of a child witness’ statement were leaked online.
Both lawyers and family members were upset over the leak of the statement by one of five students who have been separately charged in the Children’s Court with bullying Zara Qairina.
Datuk Ram Singh, counsel for the child, known as Student A, said he would lodge a police report after sections of his client’s witness statement and the names of the accused were circulated on TikTok.
“We are disappointed. After so much preparation, the statement was leaked. Confidentiality is important. To me, this is intimidation,” Ram said.
He added that his client, who had been scheduled to testify, was left in tears, while her parents were also visibly distressed.
“It takes days for a child to prepare to give evidence. This has caused unnecessary trauma,” he told reporters outside the courthouse.
Ram stressed that the coroner had issued a gag order, with the child witnesses to testify in private under the Child Witness Act.
“We will still rely on the witness statement to expedite the proceedings.
“The conducting officer is experienced and they know what they are doing,” he added.
Counsel for Zara Qairina’s mother Noraidah Lamat, Shahlan Jufri, also condemned the leak, saying it disrupted the inquest and unfairly burdened young witnesses.
“We should have started with a new witness today, but her statement went viral on social media, so the session was postponed till Monday.
“Child witnesses are fragile, and there are specific laws to protect them. Both the child and her parents were affected,” he said.
Shahlan urged the public to be responsible, noting that some witnesses are as young as 13, with the oldest only 17.
“They are just starting boarding school. Coming to court is not easy, it is emotional. Careless comments and viral videos only make it worse,” he said.
He added that Zara’s mother was also perturbed by the negative remarks and online speculation.
The inquest has so far heard from eight witnesses out of 68.
Earlier, the school’s chief warden, Azhari Abd Sagap, testified that Zara Qairina had faced an internal investigation over allegations of theft the day before she was found unconscious.
He also revealed WhatsApp exchanges between Zara Qairina and other students that he described as misunderstandings and jokes.
The proceedings will continue on Monday, with testimony from the minors to be heard in camera.
