KOTA KINABALU: Zara Qairina Mahathir’s cries of “Aku nda curi bah” were her dormmate’s final memory of her before she was found unconscious.
The 18th child witness gave this testimony on the 26th day of the inquest into her death at the Coroner’s Court.
Lawyer Mohd Syarulnizam Mohd Salleh, representing Zara Qairina’s mother, said the witness testified that on July 15, a student called Zara Qairina to meet senior students in the next dorm.
Zara Qairina was in front of her locker writing something when she left for the meeting.
She returned to her room at 11 pm and lay on the floor crying before shouting “I didn’t steal”.
All dormmates were present and heard her cries, but nobody comforted her.
The dorm lights were off, and Zara Qairina was not using a pillow as she lay on the floor resting her head on her arm.
The witness said it was the first time she had seen Zara Qairina crying and shouting in the dorm.
The court heard that a wallet had gone missing that day, and Zara Qairina was accused of stealing it.
Four dormmates inspected her locker, bag, and trousers but could not find the missing wallet.
No teachers or wardens were involved in the inspection or the senior students’ floor meeting.
Meanwhile, lawyer Joan Goh, representing a child implicated in the bullying case, said the 19th child witness described Zara Qairina as a cheerful student.
The witness told the court that Zara Qairina often wrote in a green diary inscribed with “Love and Peace”.
She also testified that she had lost a Malaysian flag pin from her school bag on July 8.
Zara Qairina, 13, died on July 17 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital after being found unconscious near her school hostel at 4 am the previous day.
The inquest will resume on Thursday. – Bernama
