KOTA KINABALU, July 13 — A child psychologist told the Coroner's Court that her assessment found evidence of verbal and cyberbullying against Zara Qairina Mahathir while preparing the teenager's psychological autopsy profile.
Dr Noor Aishah Rosli, 51, said the findings were based on interviews with her secondary school friends as well as a review of several documents to complete the report.
The psychologist with nearly 20 years of professional experience added that no evidence of physical bullying was found, but there were indications that Zara had been subjected to verbal bullying, including name-calling, being ostracised, and cyberbullying through social media.
"While interviewing her secondary school friends and reviewing the documents, I found evidence of verbal bullying. I did not find any physical bullying.
"She was labelled, ignored, there were writings about her on the wall, and she was also subjected to cyberbullying. However, I could not access all the content because it had been deleted.
"Zara was also said to have told her mother about older girls who were mean to her. When she met them at a shopping mall, they avoided her.
"The same thing happened during the Hari Raya (Aidilfitri) celebration at school, making Zara feel uncomfortable," she told Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan during the inquest into Zara's death here today.
Dr Aishah was responding to a question from lawyer Shahlan Jufri, who is representing Zara's mother, regarding the psychological autopsy profile she had prepared, including her assessment of the alleged bullying experienced by the teenager.
She said that Zara had enjoyed good relationships with her friends during primary school and was described as cheerful and generous, but issues related to bullying only emerged when she was in secondary school.
On the deceased's diary entries, Dr Aishah said the use of harsh words directed at her mother could not be taken as an indication of their relationship, as a diary served as a temporary outlet for emotions during periods of emotional distress.
The use of such language in the diary also did not necessarily indicate that the teenager had a troubled relationship with her mother, as there was no evidence of hatred in their telephone conversations. Instead, Zara often shared details of her daily life with her mother.
"In assessing a person, we cannot rely on a single factor. It was merely the emotional expression of an immature teenager. A diary alone is not sufficient," she said.
Dr Aishah noted that the separation of Zara's parents was not a contributing factor to the problems she faced, as the teenager had never witnessed domestic violence and had instead grown up in a positive environment surrounded by people who cared for her, including her caregiver and other family members.
Earlier, while reading her witness statement, she said that information on the deceased's daily relationships, telephone communications, witness observations, developmental history, and overall mother-daughter interactions did not provide strong support for the hypothesis that her relationship with her mother was the primary factor or dominant trigger behind her taking her own life.
"I also assessed Zara's relationship with her father. Although she did not live with him and he was not always physically present, Zara maintained communication with him through telephone calls and WhatsApp.
"In my assessment, the physical absence of a father cannot automatically be regarded as causing a failed sense of belonging because a sense of belonging depends on the quality of interpersonal relationships experienced, and not merely on family structure," Dr Aishah said.
There was similarly no record indicating that the deceased had been diagnosed with a serious mental illness or had a history of psychiatric treatment consistent with a high risk of suicide.
Zara died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, 2025, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school hostel at 4am.
The inquest will resume tomorrow with the same witness.
