Kota Kinabalu: The mother of Zara Qairina Mahathir believed her daughter's case gained widespread public attention because she was denied a proper explanation of the incident, the Coroner’s Court heard on Monday.
Noraidah Lamat, 46, told Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan that the case went viral because she had not received the account that should have been accorded to her as the next of kin.
When asked by the Coroner what she believed happened to Zara on the night of July 15, 2025, Noraidah said she was still awaiting the official police investigation report.
Noraidah testified that while waiting outside the hospital emergency ward, she had requested a religious teacher at the school to retrieve her daughter's personal notebooks from her cupboard in hopes of shedding light on what occurred.
However, Noraidah said the school never furnished the items or explained how they were discovered, adding that she only received copies marked Y1 to Y15 through her family lawyers after inquest proceedings had commenced.
