KOTA KINABALU: Hundreds of pages were removed from a journal linked to the late Zara Qairina Mahathir, the Coroner's Court heard today.
Forensic document examiner and certified handwriting expert Dr Linthini Gannetion said documents marked Y1 to Y15 were confirmed to have originated from a green PVC-covered "Love and Peace" book referred to as WK9 and were torn from that book.
The 74th witness said her examination showed that a new reference "Love and Peace" book of the same type contained 228 ruled pages, whereas WK9 contained only 106 ruled pages.
"This indicates that a substantial number of pages had been removed from WK9 prior to examination.
"I also found that the tearing mechanisms observed in Y1 to Y15 varied and were not consistent with a single uniform tear.
There were also indications that other pages, apart from Y1 to Y15, appeared to have been removed," she told Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
Linthini said her examination also sought to determine whether there were signs of unauthorised alteration or interference with the contents of Y1 to Y15.
"Based on my observations, the removal of pages, differences in ink types in certain parts, the presence of obliterated writings, and differences in the dating pattern of certain pages meant that elements of tampering in Y1 to Y15 cannot be conclusively ruled out," she said.
She said an oblique lighting examination revealed indentation patterns on certain pages that did not correspond with the writings on the immediately preceding pages.
"This suggests the possibility that the original pages which caused those indentations had been removed," she said, adding oblique lighting is a presumptive method and that a more accurate examination of indented writings could be carried out using an Electrostatic Detection Apparatus (ESDA).
However, ESDA could not be performed because the evidence could not be transported to the laboratory.
She also testified that based on the known journal-style writings she examined, Zara did not typically date her journal entries consistently.
"However, in the set of Y1 to Y15, almost all pages were dated except Y8B and Y13B. This was inconsistent with her usual journal-writing habit based on the available materials," she said.
Linthini also observed the use of different pens in certain parts, including Y10B, suggesting that certain details may have been added on a different occasion.
She said that on Y4B, the letters "hallenge" in the word "challenge" were written in pencil, while other parts were written using pen.
She also observed that the letters "tauddin" in the name "Retauddin" appeared to have been added later using a different pen.
On Y13A, Linthini said there was obliterated writing, including the words "Jala imut" and two lines mentioning the name "Alysha."
"The phrase 'Jala imut' was not consistent with the handwriting features of the late Zara Qairina and indicated that it was written by another individual," she said.
Linthini said she was unable to reach a conclusion on the authorship of Y1A, Y1B, Y2A, Y2B, Y3A, Y3B, Y4A, Y4B, Y5A, Y5B, Y6A, Y6B, Y7A, Y7B, Y8A, Y9A, Y9B and Y10A due to the absence of contemporaneous handwriting samples.
She said some of the available known handwriting samples were formal writings, such as school exercise book writings, rather than informal journal-style writings, limiting the ability to conduct a more ideal "like-to-like" comparison.
However, the writings on Y10B, Y11A, Y11B, Y12A, Y12B, Y13A, Y13B, Y14A, Y14B, Y15A and Y15B showed significant similarities with Zara Qairina's handwriting between February 2025 and mid-April 2025. She opined that the writings on those pages were written by Zara.
Zara, 13, was found unconscious on the ground floor of her hostel and was pronounced dead on July 17, 2025, at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Her death, which allegedly involved bullying, prompted nationwide calls for stronger anti-bullying measures and greater accountability.
On Aug 20, 2025, five minors, identified only as Students A, B, C, D and E, were charged with using insulting words against Zara. They pleaded not guilty, and the case is ongoing before the Court for Children. - NST
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