The student, who was the 14th witness, said this during the 23rd day of the inquest into Zara’s death before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
Lawyer Shahlan Jufri, representing Zara’s mother, said the witness stated that she became angry because Zara denied stealing her Malaysian flag pin, which was later found in Zara’s bag.
“The witness also confirmed that on the night of July 15, Zara was questioned by several senior students regarding the theft of her (14th witness’s) wallet, ATM card, cash and flag pin.
“The witness said she only asked Zara about the flag pin, and not about the allegations of the loss of other junior students’ belongings, and that Zara denied taking it,” he told reporters after today’s proceedings.
Shahlan said the witness also stated that a junior student had asked for permission to conduct a spot check on Zara’s locker and bag, and later claimed that the flag pin was found inside.
“The witness said she was unsure whether the pin was actually found in Zara’s bag. She said she allowed the junior student to carry out the check and confirmed that she was in the room at the time, but did not supervise the (junior) student doing the check,” he said.
According to Shahlan, the witness also said she had written the dormitory rules, one of which stated: “Do not swear even if you often hear others swearing.”
Lawyer Joan Goh, representing one of the teenagers involved in the case, said the witness stated that she did not hit Zara or see anyone else hit the girl.
Goh said the witness saw Zara walking out of the room at about 12.30am but did not know where she went.
“Shortly after that, when the witness was about to leave her room to go to another dormitory, a resident approached and told her that she had seen Zara crying in the third-floor toilet.
“The witness said she stayed silent and went to the other room to sleep,” she said.
Another lawyer, Azhier Farhan Arisin, representing four other teenagers involved in the case, said the witness stated that she did not know what happened to Zara before she was found unconscious, and that she was only awakened by a teacher at about 4am.
Zara, 13, was confirmed dead at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu, on July 17 after being found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory at 4am the previous day.
The inquest continues tomorrow.