Kuala lumpur: The mannequin used to simulate the condition of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir, who is said to have fallen from the third floor of a school dormitory building, was brought to the inquest proceedings at the Coroner's Court here today. The dummy, wrapped in two brown packages, was opened by Crime Scene Investigation officer, Inspector Maidon Bernadus, from the Sabah Police Contingent Headquarters, before the Coroner, Sessions Court Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan, on the fifth day of the inquest proceedings into the teenager's death.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the fifth witness showed the damaged condition of the mannequin, with both its left and right legs broken and its head torn off after being dropped from the third floor of the dormitory last August 3. The witness previously informed the court that two simulations were conducted using the dummy, one by dropping it vertically without any forward push, and the other with a minimal push forward. The result of the first simulation was deemed closest to the victim's position based on the initial investigation.
When questioned by lawyer Shahlan Jufri, representing Zara Qairina's family, Maidon explained that the simulation was conducted on the third floor following a briefing by the case's investigating officer, Inspector Wong Yew Zhung. Inspector Wong's initial investigation suggested that the victim's last known position was believed to be in the third-floor toilet, facing the corridor.
Maidon also informed the court that the lower half of the dummy used in the simulation was wrapped with bricks secured with adhesive tape marked with a forensic label. The bricks were chosen to replicate the physical weight of the deceased, which was 53 kilogrammes. The original weight of the mannequin was 10 kilogrammes, and additional weight was added using bricks to closely match the victim's body weight.
When asked by Sahlan why a 180-centimetre-tall mannequin was used when Zara Qairina's actual height was 153 centimetres, the witness stated it was due to the unavailability of a mannequin matching the victim's height. To another question regarding how the height difference could affect the centre of gravity and the distance of the fall, Maidon admitted, 'I am not sure.'
After completing his statement, the court ordered the mannequin to be kept in the possession of the police. The inquest proceedings continue with the sixth witness, a security guard at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar, Linah Mansoding @ Jaliha, 65, providing testimony.
Zara Qairina 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 hostel in Papar at 4 am. On August 8, the Attorney General's Chambers ordered her remains to be exhumed for a post-mortem, before announcing an inquest into her death on August 13.