Vasanthapiriya attempted to take her life on Jan 24 after being accused of stealing her teacher’s mobile phone. She died after being in a coma for almost a week.
Coroner Norsalha Hamzah said the court could only conclude that Vasanthapiriya had attempted to take her life by hanging herself, following the testimony of expert witnesses who said there was no suggestion otherwise.
She said based on the doctor’s review, there were no external or internal injuries except for some abrasions on the girl’s neck as a result of her hanging.
She added that Vasanthapiriya had attempted suicide in a locked room with no one else present.
“There are no criminal elements in this case. Evidence shows that she was in a locked room with no sign of a break-in.
“The court also cannot arrive at the conclusion that someone broke into the house.
“The court hereby finds that Vasanthapiriya died due to hanging,” she said.
Vasanthapiriya’s family was not present in court today. Inquest officer Azura Zulkiflee was present from the prosecutor’s office.
Watching brief lawyers Sukhindarpal Singh and V Parthipan told reporters outside the court that they would advise for a judicial review of the coroner’s decision in the High Court.
They said there had been inconsistencies in accounts of what transpired at the house, based on the testimony of witnesses called in to the inquest.
They said chief of their concerns was how the court could conclude that Vasanthapiriya died from hanging, attributing this to an allegedly defective pathologist report which had declared the cause of death as such.
The lawyers said death by hanging was usually by judicial sentencing or asphyxiation, never just hanging on its own.
They said another important aspect was what had happened between Vasanthapiriya and her family at their home prior to her death. This remained a mystery, they said.
They added that more questions had been raised than answered, and questioned the reliability of several witness testimonies.
Sukhindarpal represented NGO Malaysian Tamilar Kural while Parthipan represented the National Union of the Teaching Profession.
Vasanthapiriya’s case gained national attention after her uncle filed a police report claiming she had been confined by her teacher at the school before being driven home some five hours later.
The inquest, which concluded today, was an attempt by the police to clear the air over the confusion of facts related to the case and the resultant “trial by media”.
During the inquest, it was revealed that Vasanthapiriya had indeed taken the phone. However, she passed it to a friend, according to CCTV footage played in court.