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THE Coroner’s Court in Kota Kinabalu resumed proceedings on Wednesday in the inquest into the death of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir, with a police inspector called to testify on the use of a simulation dummy during crime scene reconstructions.
Inspector Maidon Bernados from the Sabah Contingent Police Headquarters’ Criminal Investigation Division (D10) was the fifth witness to be called, providing testimony to legal teams representing the various interested parties in the case.
Wednesday’s half-day hearing revolved around video footage of two simulations conducted at the scene of the incident in the early hours of 3 August. The simulation, led by Inspector Maidon, employed a dummy designed to approximate the victim’s physical characteristics.
Initially weighing 10 kilograms, the dummy was later filled with bricks to increase its weight to around 53 kilograms, mimicking Zara Qairina’s body mass.
It was used in two scenarios: one where it was dropped vertically from a corridor and another involving a slight forward push. Video recordings of both tests were shown in court, and the coroner has instructed that the dummy—now reported damaged—be brought before the court for inspection.
Legal representatives for Zara’s parents, Noraidah Lamat and Mahathir Hashim @ Marikin, confirmed they would question the witness further. The family is represented by Shahlan Jufri, Rizwandean M Borhan, Mohd Luqman Syazwan Zabidi, Mohd Syarulnizam Mohd Salleh, Farrah Nasser, Sherzali Asli, Nurul Rafeeqa Afdul Mutolip and Clarice Vyonne Conrad.
Meanwhile, Joan Goh, counsel for one of the five teenage suspects, also indicated plans to continue cross-examination of the witness, particularly concerning the now-damaged dummy. Goh is joined by Datuk Ram Singh and Prem Elmer Ganasan, while the remaining four teens are represented by Azhier Farhan Arisin and Abdul Fikry Jaafar Abdullah.
The inquest, which runs throughout the month, seeks to establish the cause of death and is being presided over by Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan. The proceedings are conducted by Deputy Head of Prosecution II Datuk Badius Zaman Ahmad, together with Deputy Public Prosecutors Dana Arabi Wazani, Mohd Fairuz Johari, and Dena Dacia Jane.
On Tuesday, the inquest heard medical testimony from Dr Pavankumar Balachandran, 32, a neurosurgery specialist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (HQE), who confirmed that Zara Qairina was in a deep coma and unable to breathe independently upon arrival.
He explained that the teenager was already in a gravely poor state when she was admitted at 6.40 pm on 16 July and showed no clinical improvement before her death the following day at 1.07 pm.
“Her level of consciousness was extremely low\... the Glasgow Coma Scale reading was E1VTM1, which indicates the lowest possible level,” he told the court, also noting dilated pupils and absence of brainstem reflexes.
When questioned by defence counsel Datuk Ram Singh on whether he had known she would likely not survive, Dr Pavankumar said: “As I explained earlier, cases such as these usually carry a very poor prognosis and outcome.”
He confirmed that decisions regarding post-mortem examinations fall under the jurisdiction of the Forensic Medicine Department and the police. Dr Pavankumar also verified that he was the one who officially declared Zara’s death on 17 July.
Earlier in the inquest, it was revealed that Zara had been found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory in Papar at around 4 am on 16 July. She was rushed to hospital but succumbed to her injuries the following afternoon.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers ordered the inquest on 13 August after reviewing the investigation report from the police. Prior to this, on 8 August, the AGC had issued instructions for Zara’s grave to be exhumed to allow for a full post-mortem to be conducted. - September 10, 2025
