Kota Kinabalu: A fifth child deponent told the Coroner’s Court on Monday that there was no bullying, verbal abuse, or physical assault against Zara Qairina Mahathir prior to her being found unconscious on the grounds of SMKA Tun Mustapha hostel on July 16.
Counsel Azhier Farhan Arisin said the child deponent testified that Zara was never physically harmed or threatened, contrary to public speculation and claims circulating online.
“When I asked the deponent about allegations that Zara was beaten to death by hostel bullies, she firmly said that based on what she saw that night, Zara was not beaten by anyone,” Azhier told reporters.
The deponent also stated that Students B, C, D, and E did not abuse, humiliate, or physically touch Zara during their meeting on the night of July 15, which took place between 9.40pm and 11pm.
She recalled being with Zara and other Form 4 students during that time and said she did not witness any scolding or anger directed at Zara by Students B, C, or D.
While she did hear Student E say the words “stupid” and “damned,” she believed those words were not directed at Zara, but uttered out of frustration over a missing flag pin that was found in Zara’s bag. The deponent added that she did not know how the pin ended up there.
“She said she did not hear anyone say ‘I’ll stomp on your head, Zara,’ and she did not see Zara’s reaction as her head was bowed,” Azhier said.
He added that the deponent stated Zara was not summoned by the students to be shamed, and that she supported Zara’s wish to become a Badar (student prefect).
The witness also denied that the group called Circle 19 was involved in the incident, describing it as merely a student group rather than a gang. She said there were no signs of their involvement that night.
She confirmed that the last time she saw Zara was in their room, and she only learned of the incident around 6am on July 16 from a Form 1 student while at the musollah (prayer room).
Meanwhile, counsel Joan Goh, who briefed the media alongside Datuk Ram Singh, said the fifth deponent shared that she had grown used to hearing words like “dog,” “damned,” and “stupid” from both students and teachers since Form 1.
Goh added that the witness did not hear anyone say phrases such as “Zara, bagus kamu pergi mati” (Zara, it’s good if you die) or “Zara, bagus kamu terjun dari bangunan” (Zara, it’s good if you jump off the building).
“She said she had no knowledge of what happened to Zara that led to her being found unconscious the next morning,” said Goh.
The deponent also confirmed that on July 15, she and her peers did not report the theft case involving a Form 1 junior to the warden that night, as it was already late.
As for the sixth child deponent, Goh said the witness recalled seeing Zara entering a dormitory room at around 10.20pm on July 15 to meet a senior.
She overheard a heated discussion about a theft case but could not identify the speaker. At 11pm, she saw Zara leaving the room in tears.
