KOTA KINABALU, June 26 — The Coroner’s Court here today heard that the late Zara Qairina Mahathir was experiencing acute emotional dysregulation in close temporal association with the events of July 15, 2025 when she faced a confrontation.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Wong Haw Huo testified before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan that the events were clinically significant from a psychiatric perspective.

“The available witness accounts described an acute group confrontation involving accusations, inspection of belongings, negative comments, public ridicule, visible distress, crying, denial, and subsequent isolation.

“Zara was reportedly accused and confronted by several students and seniors. Zara reportedly denied wrongdoing and became visibly distressed,” he said.

The 75th deponent further testified that the materials showed Zara Qairina appeared emotionally overwhelmed after the confrontation and later isolated herself and the reported absence of immediate peer comfort or support after the confrontation is clinically relevant.

Under examination by counsel Shahlan Jufri, the witness testified that the audio recordings between Zara Qairina and her mother were also clinically important.

“They reflected frequent communication, reassurance-seeking, humour, affection, practical involvement, and emotionally spontaneous exchanges between mother and daughter.

“Zara frequently sought reassurance, guidance, practical advice, and emotional support from her mother regarding daily activities, peer interactions, school life, safety, school supplies, finances, and interpersonal concerns.

“From a psychiatric perspective, Zara’s mother appeared to function as a primary source of emotional containment, reassurance, interpersonal processing, and psychological safety for Zara,” he explained.

Dr Wong also testified that the materials such as Zara Qairina’s diary and loose handwritten sheets attached a pattern of increasing interpersonal sensitivity, emotional reliance on significant peer relationships, and difficulty regulating distress when relationships felt unstable.

“From a psychiatric perspective, the writings (diary and loose handwritten sheets) were more consistent with emotionally driven and progressively dysregulated attachment-related functioning in a psychologically vulnerable adolescent, rather than evidence of malicious or predatory intent.

“Although some writings contained episodic expressions of anger or frustration towards her mother, the broader contemporaneous material, including audio recordings, photographs, and collateral accounts, did not support a conclusion of sustained rejection, emotional detachment, or relational breakdown between mother and daughter,” he said.

Dr Wong was appointed by solicitors acting for Zara Qairina’s mother Noraidah Lamat to assist in this inquest by preparing an independent retrospective psychiatric report of Zara Qairina.

“I prepared the report jointly with Dr Aili Hanim Hashim, consultant psychiatrist, and the report is entitled ‘Independent Retrospective Psychiatric Report’.

“The purpose of the report was to provide an independent psychiatric opinion regarding Zara’s mental state prior to her death and to identify psychiatric, psychological, and psychosocial factors reasonably relevant to the circumstances surrounding her death.

“No direct psychiatric examination of the deceased was possible, the opinion is therefore retrospective in nature and based on the available records, collateral information, writings, audio materials, interviews, and inquest materials,” he explained.

Dr Wong also said that the materials reviewed included post-mortem and medical reports, scene examination report, chemical and document examination reports, notes of inquest proceedings, personal writings and notebooks, audio recordings, photographs, videos, TikTok-related materials, digital communications, and interviews with Zara Qairina’s parents.

He added that the available material did not support a conclusion that Zara Qairina suffered from a chronic psychotic disorder or severe enduring mood disorder prior to the material events.

The inquest will resume on July 13.

Zara Qairina, 13, was found under her dormitory building on July 16, 2025 and died the next day in hospital.

Her remains were exhumed on August 9, 2025 and a postmortem was performed on August 10 at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

On August 20, 2025, five minors, who were give the pseudonyms Student A, B, C, D, and E, were charged with using insulting words against Zara Qairina. — The Borneo Post