THE 32nd child witness in the inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir told the Kota Kinabalu court that the late student had alleged harassment by a ‘tomboy’ female classmate who was obsessed with her
The 41st overall witness gave her evidence ‘in camera’ before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan at the Coroner’s Court on Monday.
According to lawyer Mohd Syarulnizam Mohd Salleh, the witness had been a close friend of Zara Qairina since attending the state religious primary school, sharing the same religious studies class.
"The witness said that throughout their friendship, she observed that Zara Qairina was easily jealous, for instance, if the witness became close to others," he told reporters outside Kota Kinabalu Court Complex.
The witness recounted that Zara had confided she was harassed by a female ‘tomboy’ classmate during secondary school, who had allegedly committed inappropriate acts while Zara was asleep and had almost followed her into the shower.
She also revealed that in June 2025, Zara used the witness’s TikTok account to send messages to an unknown individual, warning them not to disturb her at school or on her own TikTok account.
The witness further explained that in May the previous year, she and Zara began sharing a diary, which they took turns writing in.
"They wrote about their friendship in the shared diary. Apart from the witness and Zara, no one else could read it. The last time the witness saw the diary was in February 2025," said Mohd Syarulnizam.
Mohd Syarulnizam, together with colleagues Shahlan Jufri, Rizwandean M Borhan, Mohd Luqman Syazwan Zabidi, Farrah Nasser, and Elhanan James, represents Zara Qairina’s mother, Noraidah Lamat.
Zara Qairina was found unconscious beneath her school dormitory on the morning of 16 July and was pronounced dead the following day at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. - November 10, 2025
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