By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: Diary entries revealed the psychological pain endured by the late Zara Qairina Mahathir, the coroner's court was told.
Lawyer Datuk Ram Singh examined consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Chua Sze Hung on the phrase "conflict with parents" in his psychological autopsy report.
In reply, the expert witness said the conflict referred to Zara and her mother, Noraidah Lamat, as reflected in several of the diaries she had kept.
The documents were reviewed to produce an 84-page report, which concluded that Zara's manner of death was consistent with suicide.
He added that the diary entries expressed anger and disappointment, including expletives directed at her mother.
The entries also stated that Zara was once hit on the leg by her mother for using a handphone and was often subjected to negative remarks.
Dr Chua said while it was unclear whether the allegations were true and he could not verify them, the entries reflected the deceased's perception of her mother.
"In an entry in February 2025, the deceased mentioned that her mother used harsh words and disapproved of whatever she was doing.
"She looked forward to boarding school as it would allow her to be away from her mother and offer her peace.
"She also expressed that she would rather be bullied and have her possessions stolen than stay at home listening to her mother's nagging.
"In June 2025, in diary W2, the deceased questioned why she had such an unfortunate life. She mentioned that seniors at school held grudges against her.
"She wrote that her mother hated and falsely accused her, while her father treated her badly.
"She said she felt alone. She had expected boarding school to offer her peace, but it did not.
"She mentioned that she did not have the mental strength and anticipated her own death if her situation did not change.
"The multiple entries in the diaries suggest that the conflict she perceived was causing substantial psychological pain," said Dr Chua, who testified before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan on the 63rd day of the inquest.
However, Dr Chua said it was human nature to attribute suicide to a single factor, but that was rarely the case.
He said it was usually the result of multiple factors.
"Parental conflict is just one of the risk factors. These factors can combine to create a vulnerable person.
"A vulnerable person, together with acute destabilising factors… and on the night of the incident, there was no proper coping mechanism, structure or support.
"That unfortunate incident unfolded."
During proceedings last year, the court was told that several items, including a green diary, a purple diary and loose handwritten notes, were found in her school dormitory and classroom after the incident.
The documents were handed over to police for investigation.
Another expert witness testified that the handwriting in the entries matched Zara's.
On July 16, 2025, around 3am, Zara was found unconscious on the ground floor of the SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha dormitory.
She died the following day.
The inquest will resume on April 13.
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