KOTA KINABALU: The 30th witness in the Zara Qairina Mahathir Inquest confirmed that the Form One student had long been targeted by a group of senior students at the boarding school where they studied.
The 21st child witness gave her statement on camera before Coroner Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan at the Coroner's Court here on Monday (Oct 27), reported Sinar Harian.
Lawyer Mohd Syarulnizam Mohd Salleh said the witness was a junior student who lived in the same block as Zara. She knew the deceased; however, they were not close friends.
"The witness is unsure whether Zara had a conflict or was being bullied by any students at school. However, witnesses confirmed that there was indeed a group of senior students who had been targeting Zara," he told reporters at the Kota Kinabalu Court Complex.
According to Mohd Syarulnizam, witnesses had heard rumours that on the night of July 15, Zara was allegedly “led into” a dorm room, where she was scolded, shouted at and cursed at by several other students.
"The witness stated that the story was also linked to allegations of theft of other students' belongings, leading to Zara's bag and locker being searched.
"Witnesses also heard among the sentences used during the incident was 'You're stealing, right? You're stealing, right?'," he said.
The witness also stated that a few months before July 2025, Zara was called into another dorm room by a senior student. However, the witness was not sure what happened in the room; she only heard Zara being scolded.
In addition, the witness admitted that she had taken Zara's book from Zara's bag without the deceased's knowledge and read it at the instruction of another student who lived in the same dorm.
"However, the witness does not remember which student told him to do that," said the lawyer.
In her testimony, the witness also said that Zara had once complained to her about harassment from a senior male student.
"The witness stated that Zara once said, 'Hey, help me, I'm in trouble', referring to a senior male student. The witness recalled an incident in which he was walking with Zara when he bumped into the male student.
"The student called out, 'Oi Zara, Zara, come here'. Zara said, 'Help me, help me'. The witness then said, 'Don't tease the junior student, because you already have a girlfriend'," he explained.
Mohd Syarulnizam was present with his teammates, Shahlan Jufri, Rizwandean M Borhan, Mohd Luqman Syazwan Zabidi, Farrah Nasser and Elhanan Jame as lawyers representing the late Zara Qairina's mother, Noraidah Lamat, who is an interested party in this inquest.
The late Zara Qairina was found unconscious under her school dormitory building in the early morning of July 16, before being confirmed dead at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (HQE) the next day.
