KOTA KINABALU, Sept 26 — The fourth child witness in the ongoing inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir informed the Coroner's Court today that a senior student had yelled at the teenager, saying, 'aku injak la kepala ko ni, Zara' (I will step on your head, Zara).
According to lawyer Shahlan Jufri, who leads the legal team for the deceased's mother Noraidah Lamat, the witness testified that the senior student's yell was loud enough to be heard throughout the dormitory.
The incident occurred at 10pm the night before Zara was found unconscious at the school hostel.
Sharing the testimony after today’s proceedings, he said the witness had been lying on her bed reading a novel when Zara entered the room to meet the two senior student dorm leaders.
"They questioned her about a missing purse. Shortly after, three more senior students entered the room to see Zara Qairina, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor facing one of the seniors, who was also seated on the floor.
"The witness stated that although she was nearby, she could not hear their conversation. However, she distinctly heard one senior student yell, “aku injak la kepala ko ni Zara”.
“She testified that about 20 minutes later, Zara Qairina returned to her room and the other students also returned to their rooms," Shahlan said.
The witness further stated that she was unaware whether Zara had any conflicts with other students at the school, adding that there was a storm that night with heavy rain and strong winds.
The inquest proceedings before Coroner Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan will resume on Monday (September 29).
Yesterday, the court maintained the status quo by continuing the ban on media coverage of the inquest proceedings since Monday (September 22), while the child witnesses are giving evidence.
Judge Amir issued this ruling after Sabah Prosecutions Director cum the inquest conducting officer Nahra Dollah informed the court that the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) had directed that the press be excluded until all the child witnesses had completed their testimony.
However, he clarified that access to information about the proceedings would be permitted through the counsels after the proceedings.
Zara died on July 17 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital I in Kota Kinabalu and was buried at the Tanjung Ubi Muslim cemetery in Sipitang the same day. She was admitted to the hospital a day earlier after being found unconscious near a drain at her school hostel in Papar at 4am.
On August 8, the AGC ordered her remains to be exhumed for a post-mortem, before announcing an inquest into her death on August 13.
