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Kota Kinabalu: A consultant forensic psychiatrist disagreed with suggestions that Zara Qairina Mahathir would have taken her own life even without the alleged confrontation at her seniors’ dormitory, the Coroner’s Court heard on Friday.

Chua Sze Hung, 43, told Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan that he did not identify any other trigger or destabilising factor on the night of the incident apart from the alleged interrogation faced by Zara at the dorm.

He said suicide risk factors are dynamic and can improve or worsen depending on a person’s circumstances and environment, adding that it would be hypothetical to conclude Zara would have acted similarly without the confrontation.

Chua agreed Zara had multiple predisposing suicide risk factors before the confrontation but maintained they were insufficient on their own to result in suicide without a direct triggering factor such as the alleged interrogation in the dorm.

The court heard the estimated confrontation took place between 9pm and before midnight following Zara’s return to the hostel, while Chua said her behaviour afterwards, including crying profusely and asking friends for a pair of scissors before leaving the room, was consistent with severe emotional distress prior to the incident.