A forensic pathologist told an inquest in Kota Kinabalu today that it would have been impossible to place the late Zara Qairina Mahathir in a washing machine, dismissing speculation that the teenager might have been forced into one before her death.
Dr Jessie Hiu from Queen Elizabeth Hospital said this was unlikely because of the girl’s weight, Bernama reported.
“There was a domestic washing machine on the ground floor, opposite the staircase.
“I was told that the deceased weighed 53kg, and I don’t think the machine could operate with a 53kg load,” she was quoted as saying when questioned by deputy head of prosecution II Badius Zaman Ahmad.
The inquest before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan continues.
Zara was found unconscious at 4am on July 16 after allegedly falling from the third floor of her school’s hostel in Papar, Sabah. She died in a hospital in Kota Kinabalu the following day.
Her body was exhumed on Aug 9 to allow for a post-mortem after allegations of bullying were raised.
The inquest is set to run on Sept 3, 4, 8 to 12, 17 to 19, and 22 to 30.
