PAPAR: The inquest into the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir shifted out of the courtroom on Thursday (Sept 11), with proceedings held at the school hostel where she was discovered unconscious two months back.
Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan, who is presiding over the inquest, arrived at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) Tun Datu Mustapha in Limauan at about 9.15am, accompanied by legal teams, court staff and key witness forensic pathologist Dr Jessie Hiu.
Police personnel were stationed around the school from early morning, with the police forensic unit seen at the compound as early as 7.29am.
The prosecution team had arrived by 8.30am, while the coroner’s convoy left the Kota Kinabalu Court Complex at 8.45am under police escort.
However, reporters were not allowed into the school compound during the on-site observation by the Coroner’s Court.
Members of the media, who had gathered outside the gates since 7am, were told that only regular school activities outside the dormitory area would continue as usual.
The locus in quo (scene visit), regarded as a crucial part of the inquest, aims to reconstruct events before and after Zara Qairina’s death to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
The inquest, which began on Sept 3, is set to run for 17 days, with 68 witnesses expected to be called.
The visit to the school marks the sixth day of proceedings, which will resume at the Kota Kinabalu Court Complex at 2pm.
Zara Qairina, 13, was pronounced dead at Queen Elizabeth Hospital here on July 17. She had been admitted after being found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory in Papar at 4am on July 16.
Five teenagers were charged at the Kota Kinabalu Children’s Court, Sabah, on Aug 20 under Section 507C(1) of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Code, for making threatening, abusive or insulting words against Zara Qairina.
