Children's Court Allows Suhakam As Watching Brief In Zara Qairina Bullying Case

KOTA KINABALU, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- The Kota Kinabalu Children’s Court has allowed the application by Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) to appear as a Watching Brief in the Zara Qairina Mahathir bullying case.

In a statement, Sabah court officer Cindy Mc Juce Balitus said the application by SUHAKAM was granted by Judge Elsie Primus in the closed-door proceedings here today.

"The prosecution has served 15 documents on the first child offender and 18 documents each on the other four child offenders, pursuant to Section 51A of the Criminal Procedure Code," the statement read.

She added that an additional five documents will be served on all the child offenders at the next pre-trial case management on Oct 16, and the trial will proceed as scheduled from Dec 9 to 20.  

At the proceedings earlier, deputy public prosecutors Nor Azizah Mohamad, Nik Haslinie Hashim and Deepa Nair Thevaharan appeared for the prosecution. 

Four of the accused were represented by counsels Azhier Farhan Arisin, Abdul Fikry Jaafar Abdullah, Fareez Salleh and Sylyester Kuan, while the remaining one was represented by counsels Datuk Ram Singh, Joan Goh and Prem Elmer Ganasan.

The five teenage girls were charged on Aug 20 in the Kota Kinabalu Children's Court in connection with the bullying of the late 13-year-old Zara Qairina.

The charge was brought under Section 507C(1) of the Penal Code for allegedly using or making threatening, abusive, or insulting words or communication.

Zara Qairina died on July 17 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and was buried at the Tanjung Ubi Muslim cemetery in Sipitang the same day. She was admitted to the hospital a day earlier after being found unconscious near a drain at her school hostel in Papar at 4 am.

On Aug 8, the Attorney General’s Chambers ordered her remains to be exhumed for a post-mortem, before announcing an inquest into her death on Aug 13. 

-- BERNAMA