Zara's hostel fall not likely accidental, pathologist tells court

Summary

• Lead pathologist Dr Jessie Hiu tells the inquest that Zara Qairina Mahathir could not have accidentally fallen from her hostel's third floor, as the 118cm corridor railing was above her centre of gravity at 154cm tall.

• Hiu says that the post-mortem revealed six injuries sustained while Zara was alive, including severe head trauma, multiple fractures, and internal bleeding consistent with a fall from height.

• Hiu maintains the injury pattern ruled out chronic physical abuse.

The lead pathologist who examined schoolgirl Zara Qairina Mahathir after her death told the Coroner's Court that it was unlikely she had accidentally fallen from the third floor of her hostel.

Dr Jessie Hiu said the hostel's corridor railing stood at 118cm while Zara's height was 154cm, placing the barrier above her centre of gravity.

In her view, this made it virtually impossible for the 13-year-old to have toppled over without deliberately climbing onto the ledge.

"Based on the measurements, 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 when reading her witness statement today.

Hiu is the first witness in the inquest into Zara's death. She added that while it was physically possible for the teenager to have crossed the barrier by climbing, a fall from a standing position could not have occurred.

Trauma injuries

The post-mortem revealed six antemortem injuries - meaning injuries sustained while Zara was still alive. These included visible wounds and internal trauma consistent with a fall from height.

Zara also suffered a laceration to the back of her head with bleeding on the brain's surface, which led to swelling and hypoxic encephalopathy. Her left wrist and forearm were deformed, with fractures and dislocation, while abrasions were noted around her elbow.

She also sustained multiple leg fractures, including comminuted breaks to both tibias and a fracture of the left heel bone, alongside dislocation of the left ankle joint and bruising on the feet.

Further internal trauma included fractures to the second to fourth lumbar vertebrae, bleeding in the left psoas muscle and a localised pelvic haematoma.

Hiu also recorded a fractured sternum, which she explained was a post-mortem fracture, meaning it occurred after death. No injuries were detected to the chest, abdominal or pelvic organs, nor were there signs of trauma in the genital or anal areas, she said.

Fall sequence reconstructed

Reconstructing the sequence of the fall, Hiu told the court that Zara appeared to have landed first on her left foot, then her right, before falling backwards onto her side and striking the back of her head.

"Following the impact, she fell backwards, predominantly onto her left side, sustaining injuries to her left wrist, left forearm, left elbow, and the back of her head," she said.

When questioned by deputy public prosecutor Badiuszaman Ahmad about whether the injuries suggested chronic physical abuse, Hiu maintained that the pattern was consistent with a fall.

She explained that in assault cases, injuries are usually scattered across the body in varying stages of healing, whereas Zara's injuries were grouped and explained by two mechanisms of trauma, namely, direct impact on landing and deceleration, causing internal damage such as brain bleeding.

Zara was found critically injured on July 16 and died the following day in the hospital from severe traumatic brain injury.

Her body was exhumed, and a post-mortem was conducted on Aug 9. Initially, no post-mortem was performed, but the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) subsequently ordered the exhumation to be done.

Sessions Court judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan is presiding as coroner in the inquest to determine the cause of Zara's death.

About 68 witnesses are expected to testify, including over 30 children. A visit to the crime scene - a religious school in Papar - has also been planned for Sept 11.

The court adjourned at approximately 4.45pm and will resume tomorrow morning at 9am.

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