By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: Zara Qairina Mahathir had shared stories about her secondary school experiences, including bullying incidents, to her aunt, the Coroner's Court heard today.
Zara Qairina's aunt, Nur Shira Abdullah, 46, told coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan that her niece had spoken about the matter during the Hari Raya holidays last year.
"Zara shared stories about conditions at her new boarding school, including bullying cases, students who liked fighting, disturbances from friends, hostel meetings, complaints not being taken seriously by wardens, and scary stories in the hostel.
"While Zara was sharing these incidents with us, my child accidentally recorded her account," she read from her witness statement on the 69th day of the inquest into the teenager's death.
The 71st witness , who lives in Kuala Lumpur, testified that Zara Qairina once shared that she was disturbed by a tomboy-ish student while sleeping in the dormitory.
"Besides that, Zara had also said her money had gone missing and was believed to have been stolen.
"From my observation, Zara shared those issues as they made her uncomfortable, but she was still able to speak about them normally.
"I supported her and suggested she inform her mother (Noraidah Lamat) and report them to the warden," she said, adding that the teenager, who was close to Noraidah, claimed the wardens did not believe her.
Zara Qairina was 13 when she was found unconscious on the ground floor of the SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha dormitory on July 16. She was pronounced dead the following day at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The witness and her husband, Abu Bakar Lamat, flew to Sabah after learning about the incident on July 16. Upon arriving at Queen Elizabeth Hospital here, both learned that Zara Qairina was "brain dead."
"While I was beside Zara reciting the syahadah into her ear, I saw fluid mixed with a small amount of blood and foam coming out from her mouth, and tears flowed from Zara's eyes twice.
"A doctor explained Zara's injuries to me based on the medical report she had read, including serious head injuries, severe skull damage and a condition where the brain was no longer functioning.
"The doctor also explained the possibility of damage to the spinal nerves due to the strong impact, fractures to the bones and legs, and injury to the left ankle," she said, adding that the explanation was given while her husband and sister-in-law went to lodge a police report.
Zara Qairina was pronounced dead between 4 and 4.30pm by the attending doctor, with an investigating officer present as a witness.
Throughout her visit to the hospital and during the funeral process, Nur Shira observed that part of Zara Qairina's head had been shaved, and that there were bruises on her upper body, a yellowish discolouration on her body, and her ankle appeared dislocated.
"During the hospital procedures, my family and I were in a state of shock and trauma.
"Puan Noraidah was in a state of deep sadness, trauma and emotional instability. I saw Puan Noraidah repeatedly stroking Zara's face while crying.
"At that time, we had no knowledge regarding post-mortem procedures or its importance," she said, adding that no clear explanation had been given regarding the procedure.
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