Kuala lumpur: Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist Dr Chua Sze Hung told the Coroner's Court today that an assessment of the mother of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir was not necessary in the context and framework of a psychological autopsy. He emphasized that the focus should be on assisting the court in determining the manner of death of the deceased, with a psychological autopsy being the appropriate approach.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Dr Chua, who was recalled to testify, explained that assessing the surviving parent is not an adequate clinical or methodological substitute for a retrospective assessment of the deceased adolescent's mental state. He highlighted that in forensic psychiatry, attempting to interchange the two represents a category error, which involves mixing up two different subjects, timelines, and psychological realities. Dr Chua clarified that the mother's assessment is centered on her current clinical condition rather than retrospectively assessing the deceased's mental state.

Dr Chua, who had first testified as a witness in the inquest into Zara Qairina's death in April, stated that a cross-sectional psychiatric diagnosis or non-diagnosis of the mother's current mental state offers little insight into understanding the adolescent's symptom load and final suicidal intent. He cited forensic literature, which warns that survivors in death inquiries can be interested parties whose recollections may be influenced by guilt, anger, and shame. He stressed the importance of the adolescent's own written diaries documenting her difficulties as the most critical uncontaminated pre-mortem data.

Furthermore, Dr Chua noted that clinical psychiatric assessments are not intended to be conducted retrospectively or to determine the manner of death. He maintained that his conclusion, which finds the deceased's manner of death most consistent with suicide, is an expert opinion on the balance of probability. He affirmed that it is ultimately the prerogative of the court to determine the final manner of death.

Zara Qairina, aged 13, passed away on July 17, 2025, at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she had been admitted a day earlier after being found unconscious near a drain at her school hostel in Papar at 4 am. The inquest proceedings are scheduled to resume tomorrow.