KOTA KINABALU: The Coroner’s Court here was told that the late Zara Qairina Mahathir had claimed she was being harassed by a ‘tomboy’ student while staying at the hostel.
The deceased’s aunt, Nur Shira Abdullah, 46, who appeared as the 71st witness in the inquest into the teenager’s death, said Zara Qairina had personally told her about the matter when the victim returned home for the Aidilfitri holidays last year.
According to Nur Shira, Zara Qairina said her roommate had told her that the student in question had been physically harassing Zara while she was asleep, alongside several other incidents that made her feel uncomfortable throughout her time at the hostel.
"While Zara was telling us about the matter, my child accidentally recorded Zara’s account,” she said while testifying before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan on Tuesday (May 19).
The witness also told the court that Zara Qairina had complained about being instructed to go down to the lower floor of the hostel between 1am and 2am to fetch hot water because the water dispenser was located downstairs while the victim stayed on the third floor.
In addition, the witness said the victim had also informed her that some of her money had gone missing and was believed to have been stolen.
Nur Shira said that the matters frequently shared with her by Zara Qairina were more related to school and hostel life, as well as her relationships with friends, rather than family problems.
"Zara never stated that she was unloved by her mother or afraid of her mother. From my observation, Zara shared those matters as things that made her uncomfortable, but she was still able to talk about them normally,” she said.
The witness also said Zara Qairina had informed her that she had lodged a complaint with a warden, but that the latter had not believed her.
Touching on the issue of the refusal to conduct a post-mortem examination, the witness denied that the family had made a hasty decision, saying instead that a doctor in the forensic room had merely instructed her to sign a form without a detailed explanation.
She also denied allegations that the family had discussed the post-mortem issue in a public area, stressing that the deceased’s mother, Noraidah Lamat, had only voiced the matter once inside the ward when there were no other visitors there.
Zara Qairina, 13, was confirmed dead at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, 2025, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school hostel at about 4am.
The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) had previously directed that an inquest be conducted after reviewing the police investigation report. The inquest will continue on May 20. – Bernama
