KOTA KINABALU: A witness told the Coroner’s Court that Zara Qairina was quiet, sullen, and kept to herself a day before she was found unconscious on July 16.
Lawyer Joan Goh, representing one of the teens involved, said the witness saw Zara Qairina in the dormitory room at about 4 pm on July 15.
The witness did not know how Zara Qairina was during night prep as they were in different classes.
“The witness said they did not talk to Zara Qairina as she was in a bad mood and the witness was afraid of being scolded,“ Goh shared with reporters after the 19th day of the inquest.
The witness also informed the court that they saw Zara Qairina go into the room next door to meet with senior students but did not know the reason until informed about missing items.
The witness said they and other students checked Zara Qairina’s items after a student lost some belongings and found a flag pin with another student’s name.
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 added that it was the first time they saw Zara Qairina behave in such a manner.
“The witness related 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,“ Goh said.
Shortly after, Zara Qairina left the dormitory and the witness did not know what happened after as they had gone to sleep.
Goh added that the witness knew Zara Qairina had a diary as they had seen her writing in it in the dormitory room and had read the diary once with her permission.
The witness related that Zara Qairina wrote about how she missed her old friends in primary school but 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 said to be missing.
The witness added that no roommate consoled or calmed Zara Qairina when she cried as there were other students telling them to leave her be first and let her 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. – Bernama