Kota Kinabalu: The Coroner's Court on Friday heard that Zara Qairina Mahathir was conscious but visibly distressed during her final interaction with a fellow student on the night before she was found beneath her hostel building and had expressed a desire to leave the school.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Wong Haw Huo told Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan that Zara appeared to be under conscious awareness as she recognised the student, who testified that her face looked red as though she had been crying, which he said indicated significant emotional distress.
The 75th deponent, responding to questions from conducting officer Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Fairuz Johari, testified that the first words attributed to Zara were, "Saya mahu pindah sekolah" ("I want to change schools"), adding that she may have struggled to explain the reason because the events had occurred only hours earlier.
Dr Wong also referred to testimony that Zara later said, "Saya mahu terjun" ("I want to jump"), but said he could not conclude that the statement demonstrated suicidal intent because he had not assessed her at the time and the meaning, context and intended consequences of the remark remained unclear.
He told the court that, based on the evidence presented, Zara appeared to be experiencing overwhelming psychological distress and seeking support, and that it would be unfair to speculate that she fully understood the consequences of her statement without first establishing her level of comprehension.
