Inquest: Zara Qairina’s stepsister says she suffered emotional distress while living with mother

Malianah Mahathir, Zara Qairina's stepsister, described emotional distress while living with Zara's mother during her primary school years.

Malianah faced harsh treatment from her stepmother, managing her own daily needs and education.

Zara Qairina died on July 17, 2025, after being found unconscious at her school hostel.

KOTA KINABALU, Oct 6 — The Coroner’s Court was told today that the older stepsister of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir suffered emotional distress while living with Zara Qairina’s mother for about seven months during her primary school years.

Malianah Mahathir, 25, said she was 10 when she began living with her father and Zara Qairina’s mother following the couple’s marriage in 2011.

The 81st witness said she lived with them from late 2011 until June 2012, before moving out.

“Throughout the time I lived with my stepmother, she was good at putting on an act. When my father was at home, she would be kind to me. However, once my father left for work, she would change and show dislike towards me.

“During the time I lived with my stepmother, I suffered emotional distress due to her attitude and the things she said to me. At that time, I was still a primary school student,” she said while reading her witness statement before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan during the inquest into Zara Qairina’s death.

Malianah said she had to manage her own daily needs, including preparing meals, doing laundry, and getting her school supplies ready, while her stepmother often used harsh language towards her.

In June 2012, she began living in the hostel at Sekolah Kebangsaan Malaria after transferring to the school.

Around 2013, while in Year Six, she left the hostel and moved in with her biological mother in Kampung Binunuk, Beaufort, where she continued her education until Form Three.

She subsequently dropped out of school in October 2016, worked in Kota Kinabalu for about three months, and moved to Kuala Lumpur at the end of that year to live with her aunt in Rawang, Selangor.

She later resumed her education from Form Four to Form Five.

According to Malianah, Zara Qairina was born in 2013, after she had stopped living with Zara Qairina’s parents.

Zara Qairina died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, 2025, a day after the Form One student was found unconscious near the drain of her school hostel at 4am. — Bernama

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马利亚娜·马哈蒂尔是扎拉·凯里娜的继妹，她描述了在小学时期与扎拉的母亲一起生活时所经历的情感痛苦。

玛丽安娜遭受继母的虐待，还要自己解决日常生活所需和学习。

2025年7月17日，Zara Qairina被发现昏迷在学校宿舍，随后去世。

哥打基纳巴卢，10 月 6 日讯——验尸法庭今天获悉，已故 Zara Qairina Mahathir 的姐姐（继姐）在小学期间与 Zara Qairina 的母亲共同生活了约七个月，期间遭受了精神创伤。

25 岁的马利亚娜·马哈蒂尔 (Malianah Mahathir) 表示，2011 年她和父亲以及扎拉·凯里娜 (Zara Qairina) 的母亲结婚后，她 10 岁就开始和他们一起生活。

第 81 位证人表示，她从 2011 年底到 2012 年 6 月一直和他们住在一起，之后搬了出去。

“在我与继母共同生活的这段时间里，她很会伪装。父亲在家时，她对我很好。然而，父亲一出门上班，她就变了，开始厌恶我。”

“在我与继母一起生活的那段时间里，她的态度和她对我说的话给我造成了精神上的痛苦。那时我还是个小学生，”她在对扎拉·凯里娜的死因进行调查时，向验尸官阿米尔·沙阿·阿米尔·哈桑宣读证词时说道。

玛丽安娜说，她必须自己处理日常所需，包括准备饭菜、洗衣服和准备学习用品，而她的继母经常对她恶语相向。

2012年6月，她转学到Sekolah Kebangsaan Malaria学校后，开始住在学校宿舍。

大约在 2013 年，她读六年级时离开了宿舍，搬去和她的生母住在博福特的 Kampung Binunuk，在那里她继续接受教育，直到中学三年级。

随后，她在 2016 年 10 月辍学，在亚庇工作了大约三个月，并在那年年底搬到吉隆坡，与住在雪兰莪州拉旺的姑姑一起生活。

后来她从初四继续读到初五。

据马利亚娜称，扎拉·凯里娜出生于 2013 年，当时她已经不再与扎拉·凯里娜的父母一起生活。

2025年7月17日，初一学生扎拉·凯琳娜在伊丽莎白女王医院去世。此前一天凌晨4点，有人发现她昏迷在学校宿舍的排水沟附近。——马新社

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