By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: The late Zara Qairina Mahathir often slept in class, according to her classmates, dormmates and teacher.
Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist Dr Chua Sze Hung said if he remembered correctly, she was even described as one of the students who slept the most in class.
"According to most of her friends, there was no change in those sleeping patterns that showed she had insufficient sleep during the night.
"This is something which was not apparent during primary school years," the 67th witness testified before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan on the 72nd inquest into the child's death.
When replying to lawyer Datuk Rizwandean M.Borhan, Dr Chua said he is aware of a school warden's testimony that Zara Qairina had slept less in the class after first semester examination.
However, the expert said his statement of the child's chronic insufficient sleep was mostly based on friends and classmates who spent more time with her.
Rizwandean: Yesterday, I mentioned about (Zara Qairina's) disappointment over the Badar issue (prefect) and chronic insufficient sleep. These two findings are merely based on your assumption because you want to list out as many risk factors as possible to fit in your narrative that Zara had commited suicide?
Dr Chua: I disagree, these are clinical formulations based on psychological constructs, taking into consideration the neurobiological aspect. Again, psychology is deeply personal and contextual, interpretation needed to be based on that individual.
Rizwandean also examined the reasons on why Dr Chua only highlighted the negative parts of Zara Qairina's life in his autopsy report.
The witness said report was written looking into the psychological construct of Zara Qairina, to understand the risk factors.
"I do acknowledge that there were normal expressions of an adolescent along the way in the diaries."
Rizwandean is representing Zara Qairina's mother, Noraidah Lamat.
Inquest will resume on June 22.
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