Teacher recounts events after Zara was found unconscious, inquest told

PAPAR: A Syariah teacher who also served as a warden at SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha told the Coroner’s Court he rushed to the girls’ hostel after receiving a call that a junior student had fainted in the early hours of July 16 last year.

Deponent No. 51, Encik Rezany bin Mohd Taupek, said he was contacted at about 3.31am by the school’s PK HEM, Cikgu Asnie Marjan, before he went immediately to the location.

He said he recognised the unconscious student as 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir, who was lying on the cement pathway beside the girls’ warden’s quarters.

According to him, he initially thought she was “sleeping” because he heard sounds resembling snoring. “I did not at first see any blood,” he told the court, although he noticed a protruding bone but was unsure which leg it was. He remained at the scene until the ambulance arrived.

Following instructions from the school, he tried calling Zara’s mother at 4.14am and eventually reached her at 4.19am. He informed her that Zara was injured, had a broken leg and was unconscious. He said he also sent a WhatsApp message with the contact number of the warden accompanying Zara to the hospital and advised her to bring identification documents.

Rezany testified that he visited Zara at the hospital on the night of July 16 and again on the afternoon of July 17. He was also present outside the neurosurgery ward when a tube-removal procedure was carried out. He later travelled to Sipitang for her burial but arrived after the ceremony had ended.

The court was told that he asked several students and teachers about what had happened in the hours before Zara was found, but “none knew the real cause”. He said he heard “various things” about the incident but did not entertain speculation.

Rezany said an emergency meeting involving wardens, discipline teachers, counsellors and administrators was held on July 17 to discuss how Zara was found and brought to hospital. However, no official decision was made except that the school should cooperate fully with the authorities, particularly the police.

Two weeks after the incident, he became aware of social media posts by Zara’s family questioning the circumstances of her death. He also said he did not know whether the school had ever formally informed the family about what happened at the hostel that night.

The inquest continues.