Uncle tells inquest Zara Qairina, an only child, had close bond with her mother

“KOTA KINABALU, May 21 — The Coroner’s Court here was told today that the late Zara Qairina Mahathir had never complained that she was unloved nor expressed fear towards her mother. The deceased’s uncle, Abu Bakar Lamat, 47, said he had also never seen Zara Qairina suffer from serious family-related stress, adding that the teenager mostly shared stories about school and her friends. The 72nd witness said Zara Qairina had a very close relationship with her mother, as she was an only child, and frequently communicated with her mother through phone calls while staying at the hostel. “Zara Qairina often called her mother at night to ask how she was doing and to express how much she missed her. From my observation, the deceased was very happy living with her mother and never had any serious problems with her,” he told Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan. Abu Bakar said the victim’s mother always advised and guided Zara Qairina gently and lovingly, while doing her best to fulfil her daughter’s needs and wishes. He said the deceased’s mother had also never neglected or treated Zara Qairina in an inappropriate manner. The witness said the last time he met Zara Qairina was in March last year during the Aidilfitri celebration before receiving news of the incident involving the deceased on July 16. Several photographs and videos of last year’s Aidilfitri celebration at the deceased’s mother’s house in Sipitang were also shown in court as evidence. Lawyer Shahlan Jufri later played an audio recording of a conversation between Zara Qairina and her mother obtained from the deceased’s mobile phone, and asked the witness whether such conversations were normal between them. “Yes, that was usually how affectionate the conversations between the mother and Zara Qairina were because the deceased was a pampered, cheerful and friendly child,” he said. Meanwhile, the 73rd witness, a child, said in a witness statement that she had never seen Zara Qairina in a depressed or gloomy state. She said the deceased was generous and enjoyed doing things together, such as going on holidays, shopping, and creating TikTok videos. “One of the characteristics of Zara Qairina that I remember most was that she loved joking around and was very friendly,” he said. Zara Qairina, 13, 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 4 am. On Aug 13, 2025, the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) directed that an inquest be held after reviewing the police investigation report. — Bernama

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