Witness: Group hurled insults, grilled her over missing item
KOTA KINABALU: The Coroner’s Court here was told that members of a close-knit student group known as “Gang 19” were involved in confronting the late Zara Qairina Mahathir on the night she was summoned to a dormitory over a missing wallet.
Lawyer Shahlan Jufri, who represents Zara Qairina’s mother Noraidah Lamat, said Child Witness 5 testified that a member of the gang was among those who shouted harsh words at the 13-year-old, including “aku injaklah kepala kau ni” (loosely translated as “I will step on your head”).
“The witness also confirmed that Gang 19 existed, comprising 19 students who were close friends from early on, and that she herself was part of the circle,” Shahlan told reporters after yesterday’s proceedings.
He added that Child Witness 4, listed as the 12th deponent, had described Zara Qairina as a “good person”.
“She said that on the night of July 15, she was reading a novel when Zara Qairina was called into another dormitory to be questioned about the missing wallet.
“Zara Qairina was sitting cross-legged on the floor, facing another student, who was also seated.
“The whole incident lasted about 20 minutes before Zara Qairina returned to her dormitory.
“The witness also described the weather that night as stormy with heavy rain and strong winds, which was why the warden had instructed all students to remain in their dorms,” Shahlan said.
The inquest also heard from the same witness that whenever belongings went missing in the dormitory or surau, Zara Qairina’s name was often linked to the incidents, a perception said to have circulated among Form One students.
Lawyer Joan Goh noted in her questioning that the witness testified words such as ‘anjing’ and ‘gila’ (‘dog’ and ‘crazy’) were commonly used among students in the hostel.
“She made it clear that while these words were harsh, they were part of the dormitory culture.
“Importantly, she also confirmed that Zara Qairina was not mocked or laughed at by seniors during the incident,” said Goh, who represents Student A, one of the five teenage girls charged in Court for Children here with uttering offensive words against the deceased.
The 13th deponent, testifying as Child Witness 5, added that she later recognised Zara Qairina when she saw a girl lying unconscious on the ground floor in the early hours of July 16.
“I knew it was Zara Qairina from the jersey she was wearing, the blue and white one.
“It was the same outfit I had seen her in earlier that night (July 15),” the witness said, explaining that she was a light sleeper and had been awakened around 4am.
Separately, Shahlan’s colleague Mohd Syarulnizam Mohd Salleh said forensic officers had completed an initial round of document examinations but further checks would need to be rescheduled due to technical reasons.
He said the Chemistry Department had earlier handled the process, which involved 11 documents containing handwriting, including a green exercise book.
“Discussions have been held with the handling officer to request that another examiner from the DNA division take over the remaining work.
“Once approval is obtained, a new schedule will be arranged for the examiner to complete the review.”
The 11 documents are considered relevant to the case as they contain handwriting samples linked to the investigation.
This update comes as part of continuing efforts to establish the circumstances of Zara Qairina’s death on July 16.
Proceedings, presided over by Sessions Court judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan sitting as coroner, will resume on Monday.
