Zara inquest: Father seen only once since 2018, court told

Abu Bakar Lamat (centre) testified as the 72nd witness in the late Zara Qairina Mahathir’s inques. NSTP/ERSIE ANJUMIN

KOTA KINABALU: Mahathir Mohd Hashim was seen only once when his daughter, Zara Qairina, was at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the court heard.

Abu Bakar Lamat, 47, testified that it was the only time he had seen his brother-in-law since 2018.

"Whenever I returned to my village, I never saw her father from 2018 until now, except when Zara Qairina was at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. That's it.

"Her relationship with her father, I do not know. Zara is happy with her mother.

"Since Zara was born until she became a teenager, she was never scolded, beaten or tortured, as she was the only child of her mother," he said, adding that he did not raise any questions about Mahathir to Zara Qairina as those were sensitive family matters.

The 72nd witness testified before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan on the 70th day of the inquest into the death of his niece.

Abu Bakar, who is the elder brother of Zara's mother, Noraidah Lamat, said he returned to Sabah about four times a year to visit the mother and daughter in Sipitang.

The Kuala Lumpur-based retired soldier also said he had no knowledge of whether Zara Qairina had any step-siblings or what her relationship with them was.

His wife, Nur Shira Abdullah, however, testified yesterday that Zara Qairina has two step-siblings.

Conducting officer Dacia Jane Romanus also questioned Abu Bakar on how well he knew Zara Qairina, including her best friends in primary and secondary school, her diaries and the "barcode" incident.

The witness said he had no knowledge of those matters.

During earlier proceedings, a medical doctor explained that "barcode injuries" can be caused by sharp objects, with the pattern resembling a barcode.

Earlier, lawyer Shahlan Jufri played several videos and audio recordings to confirm Abu Bakar's understanding of Zara Qairina's behaviour with family members and her tone of conversation with her mother.

In the audio recordings, the 13-year-old was heard sharing that seniors were tutoring her in several subjects, discussing her expenses, asking Noraidah to guess about an illness, and questioning her mother's whereabouts, among other things.

Abu Bakar confirmed that it was normal for the mother and daughter to communicate in such a manner.

The inquest resumes at 2.15pm.