Zara Qairina Mahathir had been advised not to write any more letters body-shaming other students, according to a witness in the inquest into the teenager’s death.
According to lawyer Joan Goh, the 31st child witness said this during today’s proceedings conducted in camera before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan at the Kota Kinabalu coroner’s court.
Goh said the witness, a Form Two student, was not close with Zara, and had only met her once at the end of April.
“(They met at around) 10pm because Zara (and a friend) wanted to meet the witness’ friend at her dormitory.
“Zara apologised to the student for writing the body-shaming letter. Two Form Four students, whom the witness knew, then entered the room and asked why Zara was apologising.
“She said it was because of the letter Zara and her friend had written. They then advised them not to do it again,” Sinar Harian reported Goh as saying.
According to Goh, the witness said that her older sister passed by her room not long after and asked what had happened.
“The witness told her about the letter, and her sister then (told Zara): ‘Kau ni ah, kalau aku touch kau ni habis kau’ (If I touch you, you’re done),” she said.
Goh said the witness’ sister however did not touch Zara or her friend, and that the Form Four students took her sister out of the room to calm her down and asked them all to disperse.
“They then returned to their rooms. That was the last time the witness met Zara. The witness’ friends also saw and heard the incident,” she said.
Goh and lawyers Ram Singh and Prem Elmer Ganasan represent one of the five students accused of bullying Zara.
Zara, 13, died on July 17 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she was admitted a day earlier after being found unconscious in a drain near her school’s hostel at 4am.
