KOTA KINABALU: A child witness, dubbed Student A, had described her relationship with the late Zara Qairina Mahathir as close but not “BFF” (best friends forever).
“She said they were not BFF. Not yet. Only close. It was a nice story from a child who could tell a story well. That is good,” counsel Datuk Ram Singh told reporters when asked for updates on the proceedings in the inquest into Zara Qairina’s death.
The proceedings were closed to the media as they involved child witnesses.
Ram said the girl, who is also the first accused in a separate bullying case, remained composed despite two days of questioning, giving consistent answers and explaining herself clearly.
Counsel Joan Goh, who questioned the witness yesterday, said lawyers representing Zara Qairina’s mother and father had also completed their questioning.
“She testified about what happened after July 12, 2025, when she spent a night at Zara Qairina’s house. She also spoke in detail about certain issues in school, including bullying,” Goh said.
The proceedings were paused at lunch when the witness appeared tired. Student A’s testimony ended after two days.
According to Ram, the next witness is not among the five accused in the bullying case. He also praised the first child witness for staying steady under pressure.
“She was composed even after two days. I think even adults would struggle. What she knew, she said she knew. What she didn’t know, she said she didn’t know.”
Goh noted that even when two or three lawyers asked similar questions from different angles, the girl remained consistent with her answers.
Meanwhile, counsel Shahlan Jufri summarised the testimony relating to events on July 15, when Zara Qairina was summoned to another dormitory to be questioned about a theft.
He said student A testified that Zara Qairina returned to her dormitory, crying loudly and repeatedly protesting her innocence.
“All the dorm members saw her crying because she had been accused of theft. None of them tried to comfort or calm her,” said Shahlan.
He said the entire dormitory saw Zara Qairina crying and heard her insist she was not involved in the incident, which concerned two Form One students.
Shahlan said that Zara Qairina began crying at around 9 to 10pm. According to Student A, she didn’t see the teenager after as she had gone to bed.
The second witness will now be called, with prosecutors expected to prepare another two. The first child witness was accompanied by her father, while the second will be accompanied by her mother.
“We are satisfied overall, although there are some parts of the testimony we are not fully satisfied with. Still, we are satisfied that after Zara Qairina was questioned in the other dorm, she returned, cried on the floor and no one was able to console her at the time.”
