KOTA KINABALU: A second team of forensics experts has arrived to analyse the late Zara Qairina Mahathir’s handwriting and other documents as the inquest into her death enters its 13th day on Wednesday (Sept 24).
The second child witness in the inquest is also scheduled to continue with her testimony.
Mohd Sharulnizam Mohd Salleh, counsel for Zara’s mother Noraidah Lamat, said the second team comprised of private forensics expert Tay Eue Kam, Universiti Sains Malaysia forensic science senior researcher and lecturer Dr Dzulkiflee Ismail, and Dr Wan Nur Syuhaila Mat Desa, from the same faculty.
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They brought a portable forensics laboratory, among other equipment, and are expected to be working until Friday (Sept 26).
In a briefing to the media, Sharulnizam said two teams were needed because the scope of forensics was wide and covered numerous aspects.
“We want to inspect and analyse a wider range of the documents tendered to the court,” he said, adding that it could help provide insights into Zara Qairina’s state of mind before her death.
“Last week we had Dr Linthini Gannetion and this round, we want to analyse the whole aspect – from the ink and pen used, folding of the paper, any changes to the documents, and (examining) exhibits tendered," he added.
He revealed that some pages from a book had been torn out, and the remainder handed back to Zara’s mother.
A DNA analysis has also been conducted on the books belonging to Zara Qairina, which the legal team also hopes to get, he said.
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Thanking the forensics experts, he said their willingness to be part of the inquest would not only help the lawyers and families but also the Coroner’s Court in understanding what could have happened.
He said the documents, books and diaries had been handled frequently by many people.
“These items were kept at easily accessible locations, so it would not have been difficult for any sort of tampering (if any).
"We do not want to have any doubts because this inquest is to find the truth," Sharulnizam added.
He hoped the team of experts would be able to shed more light on the questions lingering in the minds of all parties, especially Zara Qairina's family.
He said the schoolgirl's handwriting was considered "copy printing", a common type among children entering their early teenage years.
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Sharulnizam revealed that there were some peculiarities in the diary, for example, with one page marked with a 2024 date and the next, 2025.
“So that was quite weird," he said, adding that in many of the diary entries, dates were not jotted down.
Three journals and 15 sheets of paper have been tendered to the court so far.
“Another document we hope to get is Zara’s prayer notebook," Sharulnizam added.
He said the forensic analysis will use ultraviolet and infrared light to analyse the handwriting, as well as spectroscopy and chemometrics on the paper and ink.
The team would also conduct writing pressure and entry sequence analyses, as well as document authentication and tampering detection, he added.
Form One schoolgirl Zara Qairina was found unconscious on the ground floor of her school dormitory in Papar, Sabah, in the early hours of July 16 and passed away in the hospital the following day.
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