The Coroner’s Court today heard that the late Zara Qairina Mahathir was believed to have last been seen at the third-floor restroom of her hostel before being found unconscious on the ground floor in the early hours of 16 July.
This was revealed by Inspector Maidon Bernadus, a Criminal Investigation Division officer (D10) from the Sabah Police Contingent Headquarters, during testimony on a reconstruction of the incident. He explained that the simulation using a mannequin was conducted on the third floor based on the instructions of the investigating officer, Inspector Wong Yew Zhung, who concluded from initial inquiries that the victim’s last known position was in the restroom facing the corridor.
The reconstruction took place at 3 a.m., the same time the incident reportedly occurred, with additional lighting added for visibility. During cross-examination, Maidon confirmed that the simulation had not been reviewed by independent experts or biomechanists, as no instructions were given by senior Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) officers. He also acknowledged that neither he nor his team had expertise in reconstructing incidents.
Maidon further explained that aside from the on-site reconstruction, his team measured the drop of the mannequin relative to the nearest wall on the ground floor. He noted that tasks such as fingerprinting, footprint tracking, and blood detection had been conducted in earlier investigations by Inspector Alif from the Sabah Forensics Division, and were not part of his follow-up investigation.
The court was told that the reconstruction aimed to better understand the circumstances of Zara Qairina’s fall, though questions remain regarding the methodology and whether independent verification should have been sought.
