KOTA KINABALU: The Coroner’s Court is tentatively planning to conduct a locus in quo visit to the scene related to the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir at the hostel building of SMK Agama Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar, next week.
However, lawyer Shahlan Jufri, who represents Zara Qairina’s mother, Noraidah Lamat, said the exact date for the visit to the school hostel had yet to be fixed.
“We expect to visit the school again next week, but the date will be determined later,” he told reporters after the inquest proceedings, which were held behind closed doors yesterday, Bernama reported.
Shahlan said that to date, all child witnesses had completed giving their testimony, adding that the court proceedings this Friday would involve a school teacher.
Several others would be called in the inquest proceedings next week, he added.
During yesterday’s proceedings, Shahlan said the 23rd child witness was recalled to testify on the receipt of several items and written papers linked to Zara Qairina.
Among the exhibits tendered were a key chain featuring an avocado figurine and several pieces of paper that were admitted as evidence in the inquest proceedings.
The witness told the court that the items were given by Zara Qairina through her friends, who were also Form One students, but the witness could not recall the exact date of receipt, only stating that the key chain had been received a long time ago.
Zara Qairina, 13, died at Hospital Queen Elizabeth on July 17 last year, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near the hostel of her school at about 4am.
On Aug 13, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) directed that an inquest be conducted after examining the police investigation report.
Prior to that, on Aug 8, the AGC issued an order for Zara Qairina’s grave to be exhumed to allow a post-mortem examination to be carried out.
