A police report has been filed after information on a child witness in the inquest into Zara Qairina Mahathir’s death was leaked online.
Lawyer Ram Singh, representing the child known as “Student A”, said the report was filed at the Luyang police station at about 4pm yesterday, Harian Metro reported.
Ram said they wanted the police to probe the leak of the minor’s private information to identify those responsible and take appropriate action.
“This is to protect the witness and preserve the integrity of the inquest,” he said.
Yesterday’s inquest was adjourned to Monday after the Kota Kinabalu coroner’s court was informed that the statement of the first child witness had been leaked online.
The next proceedings would be held via camera.
Ram said the leaked information included the child’s witness statement, and had been spread on various social media platforms, including Whatsapp.
He said a TikTok video also revealed the names of five other students involved in the inquest.
This made the child and her mother frightened and distressed, he said.
Zara, 13, died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school hostel at 4am.
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.
