KOTA KINABALU, Aug 24 — All four journals examined in connection with the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir were incomplete, with one of them found to have 64 sheets missing, the Coroner’s Court heard today.

The 77th witness, forensic science lecturer and researcher from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Dr Wan Nur Syuhaila Mat Desa, said the journals comprised a green journal marked W1, a pastel purple “Simple Style Book” journal (W2), a dark brown journal (W3) and an olive-green “Love And Peace” journal (WK9).

Wan Nur Syuhaila, who holds a PhD in Pure and Applied Chemistry from the University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom, said her physical examination found that W1 contained 97 sheets, compared with 98 in a new reference journal of the same type, indicating that one sheet was missing or torn.

Meanwhile, W2 contained only 53 sheets compared with 96 sheets in a new reference journal, meaning 43 sheets were missing, while W3 contained 77 sheets against 98 sheets in the reference journal, leaving 21 sheets missing.

She said WK9 was received in worn and torn condition and contained only 54 sheets compared with 118 sheets in a new reference journal of the same type, meaning 64 sheets were missing.

“My conclusion on the physical examination and reconstruction reveals that journals W1, W2, W3 and WK9 were incomplete at the time I examined them,” she told Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan during the inquest into Zara Qairina’s death here today.

Wan Nur Syuhaila said further examination of the WK9 journal showed evidence of modification and alteration, with the original front free endpaper having been torn out and part of the original sheet remaining at the upper left section.

She added the rear free endpaper was subsequently torn out and pasted onto the front cover, resulting in traces of both the original material and the newly pasted section, which formed the basis of her opinion that WK9 had undergone modification and alteration.

Wan Nur Syuhaila told the court she also examined the journals and loose pages using the Electrostatic Detection Apparatus (ESDA) method, a forensic tool used to reveal indented writing impressions not visible to the naked eye.

She recovered indented impressions on pages 51, 53, 67 and 100 of W2, but found no corresponding pages in the journal.

For WK9, Wan Nur Syuhaila recovered indented impressions on pages 1, 4, 7, 17, 37, 50, 51, and 53, with no corresponding pages in the journal.

She also found indented impressions on the inner front cover page of WK9, but was unable to extract or read them using ESDA due to technical limitations.

She also clarified that she did not compare any recovered handwriting against any individual’s handwriting to determine authorship, adding that the handwriting analysis was conducted by forensic document examiner Tay Eue Kam using the material she recovered.

Zara Qairina died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, 2025, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school hostel at about 4am.

The inquest resumed at 2.30pm with the same witness. — Bernama