By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: Student A and the late Zara Qairina Mahathir became friends in April after both began schooling at SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha here last year.
Student A's mother told the Coroner's Court that Zara Qairina had initially allegedly bullied her daughter.
The 42-year-old housewife said her daughter later said that, after they reconciled, Zara Qairina changed and showed remorse.
She added that Student A, who is among five charged in the alleged bullying of Zara, also told her she pitied Zara Qairina, who was isolated by others, had no friends, and was sometimes scolded by teachers.
"I only kept quiet when my daughter told me this story and prayed in my heart that everything would be fine. I also resolved to treat her kindly when I met her later," she read from her witness statement before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
The witness, the 62nd to testify, said she first met Zara Qairina during school registration on Feb 18 last year. Since then, the two had communicated frequently over the phone.
"The late Zara Qairina often asked (my daughter) to call me, and Zara herself also wanted to speak with me," she said.
The then 13-year-old had twice asked the witness for permission to allow Student A to stay at Zara Qairina's home in Sipitang.
During the first request, a long weekend on the Awal Muharam holiday, she refused, as she wanted to bring her daughter back to Labuan. She later allowed a weekend stay on July 12 and 13.
"The late Zara Qairina screamed with happiness when she found out she could bring my daughter to Sipitang. My daughter often told stories about how Zara always wanted to eat the food I prepared for her. Zara originally did not like spicy food. However, because the food was prepared by me, she still ate it until her face turned red as she could not tolerate the spiciness," she said.
On July 15 last year, Student A reported to a security guard that her wallet, containing RM300 in cash and a bank card, had gone missing from her bag.
That same night, Zara Qairina was called by seniors, and a spot check was conducted at the dormitory over theft cases. The following morning, she was found unconscious on the ground floor of the school dormitory and was pronounced dead on July 17.
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