Zara Qairina inquest: Mother’s assessment unnecessary for psychological autopsy, psychiatrist tells court

KOTA KINABALU, Sept 9 — Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist Dr Chua Sze Hung told the Coroner's Court that an assessment of Zara Qairina Mahathir's mother was not necessary in the context of a psychological autopsy. Dr Chua emphasized that the focus should be on helping the court determine the manner of death, with a psychological autopsy being the appropriate approach.

He clarified that an assessment of the surviving parent was not a suitable clinical or methodological alternative for a retrospective evaluation of the deceased adolescent's mental state. Dr Chua explained that mixing up two distinct clinical subjects, timelines, and psychological realities would constitute a category error. He stated that a clinical diagnosis or non-diagnosis of the mother's current mental state would not provide insight into the adolescent's symptom load and final suicidal intent.

Dr Chua highlighted that forensic literature warns about survivors in death inquiries potentially being influenced by guilt, anger, and shame, with the adolescent's written diaries being the most reliable pre-mortem data. He also asserted that clinical psychiatric assessment is not intended to be retrospective or to answer the manner of death.

Dr Chua maintained his conclusion that the manner of death in Zara Qairina's case was most consistent with suicide, and that his opinion was an expert assessment of the balance of probability. Zara Qairina, 13, died on July 17, 2025, at Queen Elizabeth Hospital after being admitted the previous day due to being found unconscious near a drain at her school hostel in Papar.