A security guard told the Coroner’s Court in Kota Kinabalu today that she found the late Zara Qairina Mahathir lying unconscious on her back in a drain with her neck bleeding at about 3am on July 16.
Linah Mansoding @ Jaliha, 65, who has served at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar since 2012, said that around 2am she was patrolling the female hostel at Rabiatul Adawiyah Block but saw nothing unusual. She then continued her rounds at the nearby Sumayyah Block before a student alerted her that a girl had fainted in the drain near Rabiatul Adawiyah.
“When I rushed there, I saw a student, Zara, lying on her back in the drain, unconscious and bleeding from her head and leg,” said the mother of four, who was on duty from 8pm on July 15 until 8am the next day. She immediately took a photo with her mobile phone, later handing the device to Papar police, though she could not recall the exact date.
Linah said she quickly contacted the hostel’s head warden, Azhari Abd Sagap, who upon arrival, called for an ambulance. Zara was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital around 4am. She confirmed that the hostel block had neither CCTV cameras nor grilles along the corridors.
Asked by counsel Shahlan Jufri if anyone else was present when she discovered Zara, Linah replied that the other students were still asleep. She recalled Azhari’s reaction on arrival, quoting him as saying, “Astagfirullahalazim, what happened, how did she get here?” to which she answered that she did not know.
Linah added that the student who had alerted her seemed frightened and claimed not to recognise Zara because of poor eyesight. She stressed that Zara was still breathing when she found her, but she did not touch the body.
The photo she took has since become the only available image of Zara at the scene and was used by the investigating team. Linah said four teachers, including the chief warden, later joined her at the site and simply looked on while waiting for the ambulance.
She also told the court that students were unable to call their parents for two days after the incident because the chief warden had ordered the six public telephones in the hostel to be switched off. Students without credit sometimes borrowed her phone or those of other guards to make calls.
The inquest continues tomorrow with a site visit to the hostel, where another mannequin demonstration is expected.