PETALING JAYA: The religious secondary school where the late Zara Qairina Mahathir studied is expected to be in the spotlight again when the Coroner’s Court is scheduled to visit the location next week.
Lawyer Shahlan Jufri, representing the late Zara Qairina's mother, Noraidah Lamat, disclosed this after the inquest proceedings involving another child witness who had been recalled concluded her testimony on Tuesday (Jan 27), reported Sinar Harian.
He said all child witnesses to date have completed their testimonies before the proceedings resume this Friday with adult witnesses, and a site visit is also expected to be held next week.
“So far, all child witnesses have finished giving evidence and none will be recalled for now. The proceedings will continue with adult witnesses, namely teachers, this Friday.
“Next week, there are expected to be several more witnesses and the Coroner’s Court is also expected to visit the school again, although the date of the visit has yet to be fixed,” he told reporters at the Kota Kinabalu Court Complex today.
Commenting on a summary of the proceedings, Shahlan said the 32nd child witness informed the court that she could not recall the identity of the third individual who handed her a personal letter from Zara Qairina.
“This witness was recalled to clarify several matters, including the existence of an avocado keychain and several sheets of paper received by the student before they were handed over to a female religious teacher.
“We asked about the keychain and the sheets of paper. These items were received from Zara Qairina’s friend, meaning there was another student who passed them to the witness, but all of the items originally came from Zara Qairina.
“There were also several sheets of paper received either before or after the incident. However, when asked about one letter labelled as a personal letter, the witness could not remember who handed it to her or whether it was received before or after the incident,” he said.
Shahlan also said the witness explained that she gathered all the items and placed them in a white plastic bag before handing them to the female religious teacher for temporary safekeeping.
“After that, the witness intended to take back the items, but they were handed over to the police,” he said.
Zara Qairina, 13, died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17 last year, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near the SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha dormitory in Papar.
