PETALIING JAYA: Zara Qairina Mahathir was once warned not to repeat body-shaming remarks to another student, the Coroner’s Court was told.
According to Sinar Harian, the 40th witness said this on Friday (Nov 7) at the Coroner’s Court in Kota Kinabalu before Coroner Amir Shah Amir.
Lawyer Joan Gog said that the Form Two student did not personally know Zara Qairana well.
She said the witness met Zara Qairina once, at the end of April, as the deceased wanted to meet the witness’s friend at the friend’s dormitory.
“During that meeting, Zara Qairina apologised to the student for writing a letter that contained body-shaming words directed at that student.
“At that time, two Form Four students whom the witness knew entered the room, and one of them asked the student why Zara Qairina was apologising.
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“The student replied that it was because of the letter written by Zara Qairina and her friend. After that, Zara Qairina and her friend were advised not to repeat their actions,” she told reporters outside the Kota Kinabalu Court Complex.
The lawyer added that the court was told that the witness’s sister then warned Zara Qairina after she was told of the letter.
“The witness told her about the letter, and the sister then said, ‘You ah, if I touch you, you’re finished.’”
“However, the witness’s sister did not touch Zara Qairina or her friend. After that, some Form Four students took the witness’s sister outside to calm her down and asked everyone else to leave,” she said.
She added that that was the last time the witness had seen Zara.
Joan, alongside Datuk Ram Singh and Prem Elmer Ganasan, is representing one of the five students charged in the case, with the group also being parties of interest in the inquest.
Zara Qairina, 13, was confirmed dead at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, a day after being found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory at about 4am on July 16.
