SEREMBAN – The findings of the inquest on Irish-French teenager Nora Anne Quoirin will be known either on December 31 or January 4 next year, said coroner Maimoonah Aid on the last day of proceedings today.
She said the testimony of witnesses and evidence presented during the proceedings since August 24, involving a total of 47 witnesses, including the teen’s parents – Meabh Jaseprine and Sebastien – were sufficient.
"At the beginning of the inquest, I was given a rather long list for the inquest witnesses and we shortened it throughout the proceedings.
"As we know, this is not a criminal proceeding... this is an inquest to identify the cause of death of the deceased. So for me, as far as the witnesses that were called to testify and the evidence presented, (it) is enough for me to make a verdict,” she said.
Maimoonah said although the inquest did not require stakeholders – the inquest operator, The Dusun Resort and Nora Anne's family – to file written submissions, they could do so and submit it no later than December 24.
The inquiry proceedings conducted in English and Bahasa Malaysia at the coroner's court, Seremban Court Complex, was also broadcast live online through the official Malaysian judiciary portal and its official YouTube and Facebook pages.
A total of 64 witnesses were listed to be called to testify in the inquiry.
Earlier during proceedings today, 47th witness Inspector Wan Faridah Mustanin told the coroner’s court that the investigation conducted from August 4 to 14, last year, found no criminal elements that could be linked to Nora Anne’s death.
Wan Faridah, 30, the last witness, also told the court that, during the investigation, she was informed by Nora Anne's mother, Meabh, that her daughter could have been confused as they were in a new place.
Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Sazali Omar acted as the inquest officer in the proceedings.
Nora Anne, 15, was found missing on August 4, a day after she and her family arrived in Malaysia for a two-week vacation at a resort in Pantai here, about 60km south of Kuala Lumpur.
On August 13, 10 days after she was reported missing, her body was found near a creek in a ravine about 2.5km from the resort where she and her family were staying, following a massive search.
The preliminary post-mortem report stated that the death of the teenager with disabilities showed no signs of criminal elements, and her cause of death was deemed to be from gastrointestinal bleeding due to prolonged hunger and stress. – Bernama, December 10, 2020