Zara Qairina inquest: Forensic examiner finds multiple writers in student’s journals

KOTA KINABALU, Aug 26 — Forensic examiner Tay Eue Kam revealed during the Zara Qairina Mahathir inquest that multiple individuals wrote entries in the student's journals. The 79th witness testified that journals W1 and W2 contained handwriting by Zara Qairina and others. In W1, most of the entries were attributed to Zara, except for two pages written in pencil.

Journal W2 also had Zara Qairina's handwriting, except for entries on several pages. Journal W3 contained writings from more than two people, with some attributed to Zara and others to different individuals. Journal WK9, also known as "Love and Peace," was found to contain writings by multiple individuals. Additionally, loose sheets Y1 to Y15 also showed writings by more than two people, with the authorship of several entries remaining undetermined.

Tay's examination involved comparing handwriting in the journals, schoolbooks, and loose sheets with known samples of Zara Qairina's handwriting and other students' samples. The examiner noted limitations, such as a gap in Zara's handwriting samples between 2024 and 2025, and the possibility that younger students' handwriting might not have been fully developed, making it harder to distinguish individual writers.

Zara Qairina passed away on July 17, 2025, after being found unconscious near her school hostel. The inquest resumed the following day with the same witness.