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Kota Kinabalu: The Coroner’s Court heard that any alleged conflict between Zara Qairina Mahathir and her mother may not have been continuous or long-term in nature, although the teenager experienced genuine psychological pain at the time the diary entries were written.

Forensic Psychiatry Consultant Specialist Dr Chua Sze Hung agreed with counsel Datuk Rizwandean M Borhan that frustrations and anger recorded in Zara’s diary could have reflected temporary emotional reactions, but said the repeated entries nevertheless showed genuine psychological pain experienced by the teenager.

Dr Chua testified that the diary entries did not necessarily indicate a pervasive or constant conflict between Zara and her mother, adding that the nature of the alleged conflict could have been intermittent and episodic rather than continuous and long-lasting.

He also told the court that although the entries cited in his report dated back to November 2024 when Zara was in Standard Six, a child of that age was still capable of cognitive and reflective abilities to monitor emotions and thoughts, as reflected in the diaries.

Dr Chua further agreed that there might not have been any parent-child conflict in July 2025 due to the absence of diary documentation for that period, but maintained that the emotional pain expressed in the entries could still have had long-lasting effects on the child.