A STUDENT known as ‘A’, one of five teenagers charged in connection with the death of Form One pupil Zara Qairina Mahathir, was on medical leave for more than two weeks following the incident, the Coroner’s Court in Kota Kinabalu heard earlier today.
The eighth witness in the ongoing inquest, Azhari Abd Sagap, 31, chief warden at SMK Agama Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar, testified that the student's mother sent two medical certificates to him via WhatsApp following the tragic events of 16 July.
“The first certificate was for 28 July to 4 August, sent on 28 July. The second, dated 8 to 18 August, was sent on 7 August,” he told the court.
On 11 August, the student's mother informed Azhari via WhatsApp that she would be coming to collect all of her child’s belongings, and thanked the warden “for looking after” her child during his time at the school.
When questioned by defence lawyer Joan Goh, representing Student A, Azhari said the student had seen Zara being placed on the ground near the warden’s residence — the area between Blocks A and B — before the ambulance arrived.
Asked whether the student had taken leave due to trauma, Azhari responded, “No. He also did not show that he was traumatised.”
Azhari noted that a school security guard, Linah Mansoding @ Jaliha, had taken a photo of Student A and another student when they returned to give their statements, in which A made a ‘peace’ sign.
When lawyer Goh asked whether a photo alone could indicate a lack of trauma, Azhari replied, “Yes. He even made a ‘peace’ sign in the photo taken by the security guard.”
The court was previously told that Student A transferred to another school several weeks after Zara was found unconscious on 16 July, although the reason for the transfer remains unknown.
Azhari also revealed that Zara’s mother, Noraidah Lamat, had told him that Student A was her daughter’s close friend and “knew her from A to Z”. On 12 July, just days before the incident, Student A had accompanied Zara home to Sipitang after a school-organised cleaning event.
“That’s what I know. Perhaps that’s why Zara’s mother considered Student A a close friend,” Azhari said.
Student A is among five teenagers charged in the Juvenile Court on 20 August with verbally abusing Zara Qairina.
Zara, 13, was found unconscious near a drain by her school hostel in the early hours of 16 July and died the following day at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. On 13 August, the Attorney General’s Chambers ordered an inquest after reviewing the police investigation. Her grave was exhumed for further post-mortem examination on 8 August.
The inquest, presided over by Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan, continues on Monday. - September 19, 2025
