Kota kinabalu: A witness told the Coroner’s Court today that they saw Zara Qairina was quiet, sullen and kept to herself a day before she was found unconscious on July 16.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Lawyer Joan Goh, who represented one of the teens involved in Zara Qairina’s case, said the witness mentioned that they saw Zara Qairina in the dormitory room at about 4 pm on July 15. The witness added that they did not know how Zara Qairina was during night prep as they were in different classes. The witness refrained from talking to Zara Qairina as she appeared to be in a bad mood, and they were afraid of being scolded.
The witness informed the court that they saw Zara Qairina go into the room next door to meet with senior students. However, they were unaware of the reason until they were informed about the missing items. Together with other students, the witness checked Zara Qairina’s items after discovering that a student had lost some items and found a flag pin with the name of another student.
At about 11 pm, Zara Qairina returned to the room with an angry look, closed her locker, and lay down on the floor crying and screaming that she did not steal. The witness noted that it was the first time they saw Zara Qairina behave in such a manner. The witness recounted that after the dormitory lights were turned off, Zara Qairina was seen sitting up in front of the cupboard before trying to borrow a pair of scissors from several students, including the witness, but was unsuccessful. Shortly after, Zara Qairina left the dormitory, and the witness did not know what happened afterward as they had gone to sleep.
The witness also mentioned that they were aware Zara Qairina had a diary, as they had seen her writing in it in the dormitory room and had read the diary once with Zara Qairina’s permission. The diary contained entries about how she missed her old friends in primary school, though she failed to remember their names. As far as the witness knew, Zara Qairina would write in her diary when she felt stressed, as she would always write fast.
Meanwhile, lawyer Mohd Syahrulnizam Mohd Salleh, representing Zara Qairina’s mother, related that the eighth child witness testified that only Zara Qairina’s locker was damaged and could not be locked out of all the lockers in their room. The witness also said they were not involved in the spot check of Zara Qairina’s locker on the night of July 15, but related that it took about 15 minutes to look for the items that were said to be missing. No roommate consoled or calmed Zara Qairina when she cried, as other students suggested leaving her to calm down on her own.
Zara Qairina, 13, was pronounced dead at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu, on July 17 after being found unconscious by a drain at her school dormitory at 4 pm on July 16. The inquest proceeding in front of Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan will resume tomorrow.