KOTA KINABALU: A child witness testified at the Coroner’s Court that several students from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar who were members of the ‘Circle-19’ group transferred schools after the incident involving Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir.
Lawyer Azhier Farhan Arisin, representing four children charged in the Zara Qairina bullying case, said the witness was also a Circle-19 member and confirmed some group members remain at the school, though the witness herself stopped living in the hostel since September.
According to the tenth child witness’s testimony shared by Azhier Farhan, Circle-19 consisted of 19 members who were all close friends.
The witness stated she and Zara Qairina were acquaintances who lived in the same hostel block but in adjacent rooms.
“The witness said she met Zara Qairina on the night of July 15 because the witness’s roommate came to see her to inform her that a wallet containing money and an identity card was missing,“ Azhier Farhan told reporters after the inquest proceeding’s twentieth day.
The witness’s roommate reportedly suspected Zara Qairina of taking the missing items.
Azhier Farhan said the witness informed the court that Zara Qairina knew about the missing items when asked but denied taking them, adding that the witness did not scold Zara Qairina.
When the witness wanted to order Zara Qairina to return to her room, another friend entered and also questioned the teenager about the missing items.
“According to the witness, he said ‘just admit it if you took it, we won’t be angry’, but Zara Qairina did not admit it,“ said Azhier Farhan.
The witness observed Zara Qairina’s reaction as normal and her answers as usual during this interaction.
The lawyer said the witness explained she did not see Zara Qairina as emotionally disturbed and didn’t notice whether the teenager cried after meeting her friends.
Meanwhile, lawyer Shahlan Jufri, representing Zara Qairina’s mother, shared that the witness testified she didn’t sleep in her own room that night but slept in another room with several friends.
Shahlan said the witness stated sleeping in another dormitory room wasn’t an offence as long as they obtained permission from the room leader and disclosed their location.
“The witness said she then moved out to another room to sleep around 10 pm,“ said Shahlan.
The witness confirmed she didn’t leave the room between 12 midnight and 3 am.
“According to the witness, she was woken up by her friend and told about Zara Qairina lying below,“ Shahlan continued.
The witness expressed shock at seeing Zara Qairina’s condition from the third-floor staircase.
Thirteen-year-old Zara Qairina was confirmed dead at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu on July 17 after being found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory at 4 am on July 16.
The inquest proceedings before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan will continue on October 13. – Bernama
