Assistant head of discipline Nurul Syahadah Ibrahim, 38, confirmed that the report was not submitted to the district education office, state education department, education ministry, the police, or the school principal herself.

Responding to questions from lawyer Clarice Vyonne Conrad, who represented Zara’s father, the witness agreed that the report should have been submitted to the principal no matter what the circumstances were, as it was the principal’s responsibility to know everything that happened at the school.

“Yes, that’s right. The principal needs to be informed even if it’s a minor case. I attribute this to my own mistake,” the 54th witness was quoted as saying at Zara’s inquest before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.

“The report is only for the disciplinary unit’s internal records. A copy was not given to the principal because she is no longer at the school, and we rarely meet to hand it over in person.”

Syahadah agreed with Clarice that the principal was still with the school when the report was compiled, but said she “overlooked” it as she was too focused on the investigation and involved in her activities.

She also said the report was only for the school’s internal records and not for the authorities, but admitted that she would likely hand it over if asked by the police.

Yesterday, the witness had said the internal investigation was carried out on July 16 and 17, as well as on Aug 4, 5, and 13.

The inquiry involved several students, including five who were reportedly the last to see Zara, and was conducted through question-and-answer sessions and written statements.

Today’s hearing was shortened because of the state election and will resume on Monday.

Zara, 13, died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital here on July 17, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory in Papar.