Zara Qairina Inquest: Student's Fall Unlikely Accident Or Push, Court Told

KOTA KINABALU, Sept 3 (Bernama) -- The Coroner's Court heard today that Zara Qairina Mahathir had likely not fallen accidentally or been pushed from a standing position next to her hostel corridor's concrete railing.

Dr Jessie Hiu, 58,  a Forensic Pathologist in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital here since 1998, who conducted the post-mortem on the teenager, said that the height of the third-floor railing, measured from the floor to the top of its horizontal metal rail, is 118 cm, and Zara Qairina’s height was 154 cm.

"The difference between the deceased's height and the topmost horizontal metal rail is 36 cm. The height of the metal rail is more than three-quarters of the deceased's height and is likely above her centre of gravity. (In females, the centre of gravity is generally located in the pelvic region, often just below the belly button in a standing position).

"In my opinion, it is unlikely that the deceased accidentally fell or was pushed from a standing position next to the concrete railing along the corridor,” she said while reading out her witness statement on the first day of the inquest proceedings into the death of the Form One student. 

Based on the height and design of the railing, and considering the deceased’s height, it would have been possible for her to climb onto the concrete base, cross over the metal rails, and stand on top of the railing, she added. 

The first witness also stated that the examination of the scene at Block Rabiatul Adawiyah, Asrama Qurratua’yun SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha Limauan (TDML), Kinarut was conducted on Aug 2, at 12.30 pm.

“I was requested to provide a professional opinion regarding the deceased’s antemortem injuries. I reviewed her medical records, including radiographs, CT and CTA scan reports,” she said.

The doctor also testified that the body was in a moderate to advanced state of decomposition, a condition consistent with how long it had been buried in soil.

“Although the body was decomposed, the tissues, except for the brain, remained fairly intact, allowing for both external and internal post-mortem examination and documentation of injuries,” she said, adding that the examinations revealed a sutured laceration at the back of the head, with no skull or facial bone fractures.

“The brain showed liquefactive changes due to decomposition and could not be assessed. The lower part of her left forearm, left wrist, left hand and left fifth finger were bruised with deformity of the left forearm and wrist due to underlying fracture of the left distal radius bone and dislocation of the wrist joint,” she said.

-- BERNAMA