By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: The Coroner's Court was told that the 65th witness feared the consequences of testifying, as she believed she might have been the last person to interact with the late Zara Qairina Mahathir on July 16.
Lawyer Shahlan Jufri said the child witness, who completed her testimony this morning, had not been included in the witness list previously.
He said the witness only disclosed her interaction with Zara Qairina about three months after the incident to her mother.
The mother, who is testifying today as the 66th witness, later informed a school teacher during the fasting month this year.
"When we asked why she only spoke up after three months, she said she feared being misunderstood by the media and netizens.
"She believed she might have been the last person to meet Zara and was afraid she would be blamed (for Zara's death)," he told reporters at a press conference.
Shahlan, who is representing Zara Qairina's family, added that the child witness testified before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan that she had interacted with Zara Qairina for about 10 minutes between 1am and 2am on July 16 at the third floor of the dormitory block.
The witness, who is a year older than Zara Qairina, said she had calmed Zara Qairina and brought her back to her room before returning to her own room in another block.
Zara Qairina, then 13, was found unconscious on the ground floor of the SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha school dormitory at about 3am and was pronounced dead at Queen Elizabeth Hospital the following day.
Meanwhile, Shahlan reminded the public to be cautious when making comments on the case to avoid raising matters that could disrupt the course of the inquest.
"This includes individuals involved in the proceedings — witnesses, the judge and the lawyers. Such matters should be avoided to protect the emotional well-being of the children," Shahlan said.
"In this inquest alone, there are more than 20 child witnesses. There is a large number of students in Forms One, Two and Three.
Some Form One students have just entered school, and they have been investigated by the police. That is not easy. Going to court is not easy either."
The inquest is set to resume this afternoon with the child's mother expected to testify.
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