A FORMER headmaster has been formally charged with sending threatening messages to forensic pathologist Dr Jessie Hiu, a key witness in the ongoing inquest into the death of schoolgirl Zara Qairina Mahathir.
The accused, 61-year-old Kamul Kamarudin, pleaded not guilty before Sessions Court Judge Marlina Ibrahim, according to BH Online.
The charge was brought under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which prohibits communications deemed obscene, indecent, menacing or offensive when made with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another person.
If convicted, Kamul faces up to one year’s imprisonment, a fine of up to RM50,000, and a further RM1,000 fine for each day the offence continues following conviction, as provided for under Section 233(2) of the same Act.
The case stems from a police report lodged by Dr Hiu on 5 September, after she was informed by the hospital director about threatening online posts circulating in response to her testimony.
Dr Hiu, a forensic expert at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, had testified over two days in the inquest, which is examining the circumstances of Zara Qairina’s death.
Zara, 13, was found unconscious in a drain near her school hostel in Papar at approximately 4am on 16 July. She died the following day in hospital. Her death, which has raised serious concerns about alleged school bullying, is now the subject of intense national scrutiny.
Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar has condemned the threats against Dr Hiu and warned that legal action would be taken against anyone attempting to interfere with the judicial process.
The charge against Kamul marks the first prosecution related to intimidation of witnesses in the Zara Qairina inquest. - September 11, 2025
