Kota Kinabalu: The mother of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir told the Coroner’s Court on Wednesday that she only learned about key events surrounding her daughter’s fatal incident through social media and the ongoing inquest, rather than from the school or the police.
Noraidah Lamat (pic), 46, testified before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan that she turned to social media solely to seek answers regarding the death of her only child after being left uninformed following the discovery of Zara unconscious on the hostel grounds on July 15, 2025.
The 82nd deponent said several visiting teachers reiterated that all students had gone to bed by 11pm with no eyewitnesses present, while the school’s Senior Assistant for Student Affairs subsequently told her not to make the matter viral and claimed higher authorities barred the school from disclosing details during the police probe.
She further testified that the school principal had advised her against lodging a police report, and she was never notified of the school's internal inquiry until the inquest proceedings commenced.
Noraidah also recounted her interactions with investigating officers, stating that she and family members were instructed to sign recorded statements without prior opportunity to read the contents, alongside submitting their mobile devices and giving multiple supplementary statements through mid-August 2025.
