Zara Qairina inquest: Lawyer plans to call mother of accused student

 

Lawyer Joan Goh said proceedings revealed that the parent had alleged Zara was experiencing conflicts with her own mother and grandmother. Pic by Olivia Miwil

KOTA KINABALU: The legal team representing a child identified as Student A plans to call her mother to testify in the inquest into the death of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir.

Student A is among five students accused of bullying the then 13-year-old girl.

Lawyer Joan Goh said proceedings revealed that the parent had alleged Zara was experiencing conflicts with her own mother and grandmother.

She said the inquest's eighth witness, former chief warden Azhari Abd Sagap, was recalled and testified that the allegations were conveyed in a WhatsApp conversation between the parent and a teacher at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Tun Datu Mustapha.

"My client's mother is intended to be called as a witness because of the text messages previously sent to the warden and, later in March, to one of the teachers.

"Each time there is a proceeding, my client is accompanied by her father, not the mother, because the mother will be testifying," Goh said, adding that it was still unclear when the court would call the witness.

She said her team would seek further clarification from the mother regarding the contents of the conversations.

Goh was speaking to the media after the 54th day of the inquest concluded today, during which two child witnesses testified.

She added that before the lunch break, coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan observed that some teachers appeared to possess information, documents or exhibits that had not been disclosed earlier.

"As the proceedings progress, documents are being produced one by one, often only after prompting," she said.

The Coroner's Court is expected to call additional child witnesses and several teachers when the inquest resumes on Monday. - NST