A consultant psychiatrist tells the Coroner’s Court that Zara Qairina Mahathir was conscious and visibly distressed during her last encounter with a senior student before being found unconscious.
KOTA KINABALU: A consultant psychiatrist told the Coroner’s Court here that Zara Qairina Mahathir was conscious and able to recognise people around her in a last encounter with a student on the night before she was found unconscious in a drain near her school hostel on July 16, last year.
Referring to the testimony of a senior student who claimed to be the last person to have seen Zara Qairina before the incident, Dr Wong Haw Huo said, however, that during the last encounter with the senior student, the deceased was visibly distressed.
He said the testimony of the senior student, who is also witness number 65, stating that “her face was red, like she had just been crying” was an indication that Zara Qairina was experiencing deep distress after isolating herself in the toilet.
“It could be she (Zara Qairina) just came out of the toilet and then was seen by the witness, and she recognised the student and it appeared as if she had just been crying,” he said.
Dr Wong said the witness also testified that Zara Qairina mentioned “I want to switch schools” followed by “I want to jump off” but the deceased found it difficult to tell the reason because of the serious sequence of events that had just happened a few hours before that.
“Zara had been accused by the group (a group of students), with repetitive confrontations and humiliated in front of her peers. She cried, she shouted, but no one consoled her. She went to the toilet with the hope that someone would come after her because at that time, she was very vulnerable, emotionally dysregulated. She wanted psychological self-healing,” he said during an inquest proceeding into the death of Zara Qairina, today.
He was responding to a question from conducting officer Mohd Fairuz Johari on whether the deceased had clearly understood the consequences of “jumping off”, and that the act could result in death.
Dr Wong said he could not agree that Zara Qairina had understood the consequences without establishing the adolescent’s level of understanding and comprehension at the time.
“She was in a confined, closed space of the hostel dormitory, and no one, including her roommate, came over to ask her. This is their first time seeing Zara break down so much. It had never happened before.
“We can see how much of the psychological distress, the overwhelmed negativity feeling inside her. She wanted to find some form (of solace), but no one’s on board,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr Wong said there were reports that Zara Qairina was perceived by some peers as attention-seeking, particularly due to her tendency to stand out socially, and was described by her primary school friends, teachers and peers as talkative and friendly.
He said the personality may have been interpreted differently by those who did not know her well, especially in the new boarding school environment.
“For those who did not know her well, especially the new peers or seniors, they might perceive this junior as an attention seeker because she always talked very loudly, was very friendly and did not understand the hierarchical rules in boarding schools,” he said.
Dr Wong said his assessment was not based on an assumption but supported by information from multiple witnesses and sources, including alleged negative social media content and labels directed at Zara Qairina by her peers.
He said such negative perceptions reflected how some peers or seniors viewed Zara Qairina and may have contributed to her becoming an easier target, with some perceiving her as a troublemaker.
“We cannot deny that this is creating a cumulative interpersonal difficulty continuously from March, April, May, June up to July,” he added.
Earlier in the proceedings, the court observed a moment of silence in memory of the late Zara Qairina, marking one year since the 13-year-old’s death.
Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan invited everyone in the courtroom to stand for a minute of silence before proceedings resumed on the 83rd day of the inquest into Zara Qairina’s death.
“Today, July 17, 2026, marks exactly one year since the demise of Zara Qairina Mahathir. On grounds of humanity and solemn respect, the court directs all present in the courtroom to stand and observe one minute of silence before we continue with the testimony of deponent 75.
“During this moment, Muslims are invited to recite Surah Al-Fatihah, and pray for the eternal peace of the deceased while non-Muslims may reflect or pray according to their respective faiths,” he said.
Zara Qairina died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, 2025, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school hostel at about 4 am.
