KOTA KINABALU: The mother of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir told the Coroner's Court on Thursday (Oct 8) that she was not informed of the importance of a post-mortem examination before signing a form declining the procedure for her daughter on July 17 last year.
Noraidah Lamat, 46, said she had only glanced through the form without understanding its contents as she was overwhelmed by grief and panic following the death of her only child.
She disputed earlier testimony by the seventh witness, Queen Elizabeth Hospital forensic medical officer Dr Logaraj Ratha, who said he had explained the necessity and importance of a post-mortem to the family.
Questioned by her lawyer, Shahlan Jufri, Noraidah said she and her sister-in-law signed the form because they wanted to expedite funeral arrangements before the three-hour journey to Sipitang.
"We signed because we were panicking and grieving. All we could think about was speeding up Zara’s funeral arrangements as we still had a three-hour journey home to Sipitang,” she told Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
Earlier, Shahlan referred Noraidah to the form titled ‘Voluntary Declaration of Refusal of Post-Mortem Examination’, which stated, among other things, that the signatory did not suspect any criminal involvement, regarded the death as occurring under normal circumstances and would not seek a post-mortem report for medicolegal or other claims.
Asked whether she had read and understood the document before signing it, Noraidah said her emotional state had prevented her from comprehending its contents.
"I only glanced through it and did not understand what it meant. I was devastated and panicking so badly that my body was trembling. I could not make sense of anything written on the form,” she said.
Noraidah also told the court she was not given a copy of the form when she signed it and only obtained one later from a female police officer while giving her statement.
She said she had lodged a police report at the Karamunsing police station on July 17, requesting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her daughter’s death.
13-year-old Zara Qairina died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, 2025, a day after she was found unconscious near a drain at her school hostel. — Bernama
