THE inquest into the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir will resume next week with the appearance of two new witnesses, including a forensic doctor from Queen Elizabeth Hospital (HQE) and a child witness.
On Friday, the seventh day of proceedings before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan, the court heard further testimony from Linah Mansoding, 65, a security guard at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar.
Linah told the court there was no sign of any commotion or physical altercation in the girls' dormitory on the night Zara Qairina was found unconscious in a drain near the hostel at around 4am on 16 July.
“I didn’t hear any loud noises. I didn’t hear the girls fighting because their rooms were already dark. I’ve never heard of any beatings among the hostel students—just teasing, like name-calling… for example, saying ‘you’re stupid’,” she said when questioned by lawyer Joan Goh, who is representing a teenager alleged to have bullied the deceased.
However, Linah, who has worked at the school since 2012, said she had heard of thefts among students, though she was unaware of any disciplinary action being taken.
“I don’t know if any students were disciplined over the thefts… as far as I can remember, there wasn’t any,” she added.
Linah also testified that she did not know from which floor Zara Qairina had fallen and had not seen any bloodstains in the corridors of the hostel's first, second, or third floors.
Earlier, she confirmed to the court that dry, hardened, blackened bloodstains were still visible at the scene where Zara Qairina was found.
“It was on cement… even though it had rained continuously for two days since the morning of the incident, the dried, hardened bloodstains were still visible,” she said.
Reflecting on how she had come to know Zara, Linah told the court she first saw the teenager on TikTok.
“I saw her on TikTok and asked her, ‘Is this your TikTok?’ She said yes. The second time I saw her was at the laundry area. I asked her, ‘Why are you running around? It’s already late at night.’ She just smiled and said she was keeping a friend company who was doing laundry,” Linah recalled.
So far, six witnesses have testified in the proceedings, including HQE pathologist Dr Jessie Hiu; forensic document examiner Nurul Atiqah Mohd Noh from the Chemistry Department in Petaling Jaya; HQE emergency department medical officer Dr Janefer Voo; and Inspector Maidon Bernadus from the Sabah Police Contingent’s D10 Criminal Investigation Department.
The inquest, which began on 3 September, is scheduled to run for 19 days, with hearings set for 4, 8–12, 17–19, and 22–30 September.
Zara Qairina, a Form One student at SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha, died on 17 July at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her hostel.
The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) ordered an inquest into her death on 13 August, following a review of the police investigation. Earlier, on 8 August, the AGC had issued an exhumation order to allow a post-mortem examination to be conducted. - September 13, 2025
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