Zara Admitted Taking Other Students Stuff Witness Tells Inquest

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The 24th child witness says the teenager had also explained why she took the things.
Zara Qairina Mahathir, 13, died on July 17 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she had been admitted a day earlier after being found unconscious near her school’s hostel. (Facebook pic)PETALING JAYA: A witness told the Kota Kinabalu coroner’s court during the inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir that the latter was often blamed whenever items went missing at her school dormitory or surau
Lawyer Joan Goh, representing one of the teenagers accused of bullying Zara, said the 24th child witness testified during the proceedings today that Zara had admitted to taking other students’ belongings.
“Throughout her time in the dormitory, whenever items like water bottles, headscarves, hijab pins or socks went missing in the surau or dormitory, most of the time it was (because of) Zara.
“(The witness said) every time Zara took the things, she would tell the witness,” Goh was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.
Goh said the witness had once asked Zara why she took other people’s things, and Zara had replied: “They didn’t want to use them, so I just took them.”
The witness also told the court that she often advised Zara to return the items.
“The witness said Zara promised to return them, but would not do so until other students started searching and found the items in her cupboard.
“The witness said she never told anyone about Zara’s actions because she didn’t know who the owners were,” said Goh.
Goh said the witness, who studied with Zara, also recounted how Zara was frequently teased by other students and was often subjected to body shaming.
“Throughout their time together in the same dormitory, the witness saw Zara being teased and isolated by her dormmates.
“The witness also said she heard Zara being mocked and body-shamed almost daily by Form 1 students who said things like ‘You’re so fat’, to which Zara would just laugh and say ‘Yeah, I know.’
“The witness also saw some students in Zara’s class shouting and calling her ‘Mahathir’s daughter, Mahathir’s daughter’ every day,” she said.
However, the witness said Zara never got angry at the taunts, but would write down her feelings in her diary.
Zara, 13, died on July 17 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she had been admitted a day earlier after being found unconscious in a drain near her school’s hostel at 4am.
The inquest continues. - FMT

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