KOTA KINABALU, Sept 20 – The Coroner’s Court was informed yesterday that a student, identified only as ‘A’, had taken more than two weeks of medical leave following the tragic July 16 incident that led to the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir.
Student A is one of five minors charged in connection with Zara Qairina’s bullying case.
Azhari Abd Sagap, 31, the hostel head warden at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar, testified that Student A’s mother had sent him two separate medical certificates from a health clinic via WhatsApp.
The eighth witness in the inquest into Zara Qairina’s death said the first medical certificate covering July 28 to Aug 4 was sent on July 28, while the second one, for Aug 8 to 18, was sent on Aug 7.
“On Aug 11, Student A’s mother sent a WhatsApp message saying she would come to the school that week to collect all her daughter’s belongings and thanked [the warden] for looking out for her child throughout her time at the school,” said Azhari.
He accessed the WhatsApp message and read it during examination by Student A’s counsel, Joan Goh, on the tenth day of the inquest proceedings.
Azhari said that he was aware Student A had seen Zara Qairina placed by the side of the warden’s house, along the path between Block A and Block B, before the ambulance arrived at the hostel.
When asked whether he was aware that Student A had subsequently left the school due to trauma, he replied: “No. She did not exhibit signs of trauma.”
He further testified that the hostel security guard, Linah Mansoding @ Jaliha, had taken a photograph of Student A and a companion, showing Student A displaying a ‘peace’ sign.
This image was captured on the occasion when both individuals were requested to attend the school to provide their statements.
Goh: Can a photograph alone demonstrate the absence of trauma?
Azhari: Yes. She even made a ‘peace’ sign in the photograph taken by the security guard.
Yesterday, Azhari told the Court that Student A had transferred schools several weeks after Zara Qairina was found unconscious near her dormitory on July 16, but he was unaware of the reason.
During today’s proceedings, Azhari testified that Zara Qairina’s mother, Noraidah Lamat, had informed him that Student A was her daughter’s close friend and knew everything about her.
According to Azhari, Student A had accompanied Zara Qairina back to her home in Sipitang on July 12 after a parent-teacher association community event.
“That is what I know. Maybe that’s why Zara Qairina’s mother regarded Student A as a close friend who knew her daughter well,” he said.
The inquest proceedings before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan will resume on Monday.
Zara Qairina died on July 17 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and was buried at the Tanjung Ubi Muslim cemetery in Sipitang the same day. She was admitted to the hospital a day earlier after being found unconscious near a drain at her school hostel in Papar at 4 am.
On Aug 8, the Attorney General’s Chambers ordered her remains to be exhumed for a post-mortem, before announcing an inquest into her death on Aug 13.
