KOTA KINABALU: Testimonies from the late Zara Qairina Mahathir's extended family members carried less weight in the psychological autopsy report compared with those of her parents and peers, the Coroner's Court heard today.
Consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Chua Sze Hung testified that while interviewing multiple informants was crucial, the selection of interviewees needed to be tailored individually for adolescents.
"The informants are normally from the peer group, as, in this case, the incident happened in a hostel.
"The bulk of informants came from there. The priority beyond the live-in parents should be the peers," the recalled 67th witness told coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan on the 71st day of the inquest.
He said the other family members did not live with the deceased and only had occasional contact and interaction with her.
"When I mentioned live-in, it must be highlighted that Zara's peers in SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha literally stayed in the hostel with her. Some of them shared the same dormitory," he said.
Lawyer Rizwandean M. Borhan had questioned the expert on the reasons for excluding Zara Qairina's uncle Abu Bakar Lamat, aunt Nur Shira Abdullah, another relative, and her primary school teachers from the interviews.
Dr Chua said he decided that interviews with Zara Qairina's mother and father were sufficient to examine her upbringing and her relationship with her parents.
Regarding the primary school teachers, Dr Chua said he chose instead to interview several of Zara Qairina's classmates as they spent more time with her in class.
He added that he had interviewed 40 people for the report, having identified them in two stages using the investigation paper summary.
"First, around 20 informants were identified from the summary. As the interviews progressed, relevant names mentioned by other informants assisted us to further identify people related to the incident," he said.
Zara Qairina, 13, was found unconscious on the ground floor of SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha on July 16, and pronounced dead the next day. - NST
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.