A STEPSISTER of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir told the Kota Kinabalu Coroner’s Court on Tuesday that she was subjected to emotional distress during the seven months she lived with her stepmother, and was never permitted to meet her late half-sister.
Malianah Mahathir, 25, testifying as the 81st deponent in the ongoing inquest into Zara's death, said she resided with her biological father, Mahathir Mohd Hashim, and stepmother, Noraidah Lamat, from late 2011 until June 2012.
Appearing before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan, Malianah stated that her stepmother frequently directed harsh and derogatory remarks toward her biological mother, causing her severe emotional strain.
The mistreatment eventually led her to request that her father send her back to live with her biological mother in Kampung Binunuk, Beaufort.
Malianah further testified that while her stepmother treated her well in her father’s presence, her behaviour changed drastically when he was away working as a driver at Sabah Oil & Gas Kimanis.
During those periods, Malianah claimed she was made to cook, wash her own clothes and school uniform, handle household preparations, and sleep on the kitchen floor facing the toilet, despite an unoccupied bedroom being available in the house.
She added that Zara was born in 2013 after she had already moved out, and that she never had the opportunity to meet the teenager because Noraidah strictly forbade her from seeing her half-sister.
The inquest is examining the circumstances surrounding the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir, a Form One student at SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar, Sabah.
On 16 July 2025, Zara was discovered unconscious near a drainage area at her school hostel at approximately 3am after an alleged fall from the third floor.
She was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, where she succumbed to severe injuries the following day after life support was withdrawn due to a lack of brain function.
Initial reports treated the incident as an accidental fall; however, public outrage and allegations of severe bullying, physical abuse, and institutional oversights led the Attorney General’s Chambers to order the exhumation of her remains for a formal post-mortem on 8 August 2025, followed by the commencement of a public inquest on 13 August 2025 to determine the exact cause of death and establish if criminal elements or negligence were involved. - October 6, 2026
