A FORM One pupil told the Coroner’s Court on Monday that he saw a person wearing a tracksuit labelled ‘Hanafi’ locking themselves in the boarding school toilet at around 2.35 a.m. on 16 July, just hours before fellow student Zara Qairina Mahathir was found dead.
The testimony was given by the 22nd child witness, a pupil from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) Tun Datu Mustapha, Papar, on the 28th day of the inquest into Zara Qairina’s death, heard before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
Joan Goh, lawyer representing a child in a bullying case involving Zara, described the evidence as significant because the time mentioned was closest to the incident.
"When the witness woke up to bathe at around 2:35 a.m., it was his usual practice to bathe early to avoid congestion in the toilets – so he went to the third-floor toilet.
"However, the door was pushed open again, and it seemed as if someone inside the toilet was sitting against the door as though locking themselves in, wearing a tracksuit with the word 'Hanafi'," Goh told reporters after the proceedings.
According to Goh, the witness did not recognise the individual’s face but identified the tracksuit worn. Around 3 a.m., as the witness was nearly finished bathing, he heard someone open the door of toilet number one before the individual exited.
Rizwandean M Borhan, lawyer for Zara’s mother, said the witness also informed the court that some teachers had told female students in the school surau that Zara was not a victim of bullying, but had died by suicide.
When asked, "Did the teacher ever say that Zara’s case was not a bullying case but a suicide?" the witness replied, "Yes."
"The words used by the teacher were ‘she could not take it anymore and surely’ (‘dia tidak tahan sudah tu’). That is what the child witness said," Rizwandean added.
He also reported that the witness had seen junior students being instructed by seniors to carry out various tasks, such as ironing clothes and fetching hot water.
"The witness said that MA (mesyuarat aras) meetings were usually held in the musolla after Maghrib or Isyak prayers, and he had overheard senior students using abusive language during these meetings," he said.
Zara Qairina, 13, was pronounced dead at Queen Elizabeth Hospital here on 17 July after being found unconscious in a drain near her school hostel at 4 a.m. on 16 July.
The inquest continues today. - October 28, 2025
