A forensic pathologist testified at an inquest in Kota Kinabalu today that the death of Form 1 student Zara Qairina Mahathir was unlikely the result of an accidental fall or being pushed from a standing position. Dr. Jessie Hiu, a seasoned expert at Queen Elizabeth Hospital since 1998, provided her professional assessment of the teen’s antemortem injuries during the coroner’s inquest before Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
Hiu, who conducts 100 to 150 autopsies annually and has testified as an expert witness 10 to 15 times a year in Sabah and Labuan courts, reviewed Zara’s medical records, including radiographs, CT, and CTA scan reports, and examined the scene of the incident. According to Berita Harian, she detailed her findings in a five-page witness statement.
Her inspection of the hostel where Zara was found revealed that the third-floor concrete wall, topped with a horizontal iron rail, measured 118 cm from the floor. Zara’s antemortem height was 154 cm, a 36 cm difference. “The height of the iron rail is more than three-quarters of the deceased’s height and likely above her center of gravity, typically located in the pelvic region below the navel for women in a standing position,” Hiu stated.
She further noted that the measurements suggest Zara could have climbed the concrete wall, crossed the iron rail, and stood on the ledge. “Based on the dimensions of the wall and rail, and the deceased’s height, this scenario is plausible,” she said.
Zara was discovered unconscious at 4 a.m. on July 16 after an apparent fall from the third floor of her school’s hostel in Papar, Sabah. She succumbed to her injuries the following day in a Kota Kinabalu hospital. Following allegations of bullying, her body was exhumed on August 9 for a post-mortem examination.
The inquest, presided over by coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan, is scheduled to continue on September 3, 4, 8–12, 17–19, and 22–30.
