KOTA KINABALU: The Coroner's Court was told that the presence of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) would depend on factors such as how long a person had held the item and whether he or she was sweating.
Chemist Nor Aidora Saedon, 52, who was testifying in the inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir, was examined by lawyer Rizwandean M. Borhan on the possibility of finding trace DNA on a railing and a ledge.
The inquest previously heard that the child could have possibly climbed onto a railing and held onto a ledge before she was found unconscious near the dormitory of her school, SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha, in Papar.
The witness also said that the longer and sweatier a person was, it was more likely trace DNA would remain.
"However, the presence of DNA also depends on the time it was left on the surface and when the sample was taken.
"From my experience, if I were asked by the investigating officer whether to swab, I would say just swab. If there's DNA, there's DNA, if there isn't, then there isn't. Just swab and send the sample in," Nor Aidora said.
The chemist, who is also a DNA analyst, said they are professionally trained to take samples.
"However, we are not mandated to collect samples for the police, but in certain cases when we are asked to assist, we will do so under police instruction," she said before the coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
As for clothing, Nor Aidora said that if the items had been washed in a washing machine, the likelihood of losing trace DNA would be higher.
Rizwandean had asked whether DNA traces could still be found on a white shirt with blue stripes that was shown to the court.
The shirt was worn by Zara when she was found unconscious and sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital here on July 16.
The 13-year-old died the following day at the hospital.
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