KOTA KINABALU: A domestic washing machine would not likely start if a 53-kilogramme load were placed in it, said forensic pathologist Dr Jessie Hiu.
On the second day of the inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir, conducting officer and deputy chief prosecutor Datuk Badiuszaman Ahmad asked Dr Hiu whether she had seen washing machines during her scene examination, where the Form One student was found unconscious on July 16.
Badiuszaman: When you visited the crime scene, did you find any washing machine at the hostel?
Dr Hiu: Yes, there was.
Badiuszaman: How many?
Dr Hiu: I can’t remember, more than one.
Badiuszaman: The size?
Dr Hiu: It was a domestic washing machine, not an industrial one.
Badiuszaman: Any possibility the deceased was put inside?
Dr Hiu: I didn’t check the size of the drum. I was informed the deceased weighed 53kg. I don’t know whether a person of that size could fit into the washing machine. However, I don’t think the washing machine would start with a 53kg load.
Dr Hiu, the first witness of the 17-day proceedings, testified before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
Following the uproar over Zara’s death, an English teacher was charged and claimed trial for creating online content linking the incident to a washing machine.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
