KOTA KINABALU: Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist Dr Chua Sze Hung told the Coroner’s Court on Wednesday (Sept 9) that an assessment of the mother of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir was not necessary in the context and framework of a psychological autopsy.
He said the focus should be on assisting the court in determining the manner of death of the deceased, with a psychological autopsy being the way forward.
Dr Chua, who was recalled to testify, explained that an assessment of the surviving parent was not a proper clinical or methodological substitute for a retrospective assessment of the deceased adolescent’s mental state.
"In forensic psychiatry, attempting to swap the two represents a category error.
"A clinical mismatch that mixed up two different subjects, timelines and psychological realities. These are two distinct clinical subjects,” he said before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan when questioned by conducting officer Nahra Dollah during the proceeding.
The doctor said the mother’s assessment focuses on her current clinical condition rather than retrospectively assessing the deceased’s mental state
Dr Chua, who first testified as a witness in the inquest into the death of Zara Qairina in April, said a cross-sectional psychiatric diagnosis or non-diagnosis of the mother's current mental state was of little help in understanding the adolescent’s symptom load and final suicidal intent.
"Forensic literature warns that survivors in death inquiries can be interested parties whose recollections can be coloured by guilt, anger and shame.
"The adolescent’s own written diaries documenting her various difficulties represent the most critical uncontaminated pre-mortem data,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr Chua said clinical psychiatric assessment is not meant to be done retrospectively or to answer the manner of death.
"I stand by my conclusion that the deceased’s manner of death is most consistent with suicide.
"I humbly submit that it is the prerogative of the court to determine the final manner of death and my opinion remains an expert opinion on the balance of probability,” he added.
Zara Qairina, 13, died on July 17, 2025 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she had been admitted a day earlier after being found unconscious near a drain at her school hostel in Papar at 4am.
The proceedings resume Thursday (Sept 10). — Bernama
