KOTA KINABALU: The Coroner's Court was told on Friday (April 17) that the lawyer representing the mother of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir plans to call several expert witnesses in the ongoing inquest into her death.
Counsel Datuk Rizwandean M. Borhan said six expert witnesses have been identified, including handwriting and document examiners Dr Linthini Gannetion, Dr Tay Eue Kam and Dr Dzulkiflee Ismail, as well as forensic science expert Dr Wan Nur Syuhaila Mat Desa.
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He added that child psychologist Dr Noor Aishah Rosli and psychiatrist Dr Wong Haw Huo will also be called to testify, alongside several other witnesses, including the victim's family members.
When met by reporters, Rizwandean said forensic psychiatrist consultant Dr Chua Sze Hung, who testified as the 67th witness on April 2, will be recalled when proceedings resume in May.
"After the 70th witness, Dr Chua will be called again as we have yet to question him. Following that, we will call our expert witnesses. This will be the first time we present our experts. We have informed the Coroner, and there is a high possibility of 10 or 11 (expert) witnesses," he said.
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Earlier in the proceedings, the 70th witness, Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) Computer Crime Investigation Unit analyst ASP Mohamad Zaidi Abu, presented images of WhatsApp conversations extracted from a mobile phone labelled WF11 before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
He also displayed the conversations in court to outline the data obtained from the device and explained the extraction and analysis process of the digital evidence.
However, the testimony by the 70th witness, who is being questioned by Deputy Public Prosecutor Sofia S Sawayan, has yet to conclude and will continue in the next hearing.
Zara Qairina, 13, died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, 2025, a day after being found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory at about 4am.
On Aug 13, 2025, the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) ordered an inquest to be conducted after reviewing the police investigation report.
Earlier, on Aug 8, 2025, the AGC had also directed that her grave be exhumed to facilitate a post-mortem.
The inquest proceedings continue on May 18. - Bernama
