Zara Qairina inquest: Handwriting expert defends journal analysis despite rival's differing testimony

KOTA KINABALU, Sept 11 — A document examiner stood by her findings on writings linked to Zara Qairina Mahathir, telling an inquest that the testimony of another forensic handwriting expert had not changed any of her conclusions.

Recalled witness Nurul Atiqah Mohd Noh said Dr Linthini Gannetion’s testimony had not altered any of her findings after she considered the expert’s evidence.

Nurul, the second deponent, was questioned by Deputy Public Prosecutor Dana Arabi Wazani during the inquest into the death of the 13-year-old student before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan on Thursday.

Dana: Overall, after considering Dr Linthini’s testimony, is there anything in her testimony that caused you to change any of the conclusions contained in Exhibit I-31?

Nurul: No.

Dana: Dr Linthini also stated that in Y4B, part of the word “challenge” (“hallenge”) was written in pencil and the word “tauddin” in “Retauddin” may have been added later with a different pen, and that Y13A contained erased writing, including the phrase “Jala imut”. You concluded that Y4 and Y13 were written by the exemplar writer.

If there are scribbles, minor amendments or the use of different writing instruments on a small portion of an entry, in your opinion, does that alter the overall conclusion that the entry was written by Zara?

Nurul: No.

Dana: Dr Linthini emphasised that almost all the sheets from Y1 to Y15 were dated, except Y8B and Y13B, and described this as inconsistent with Zara’s habit of not always recording dates in her journal. In your opinion, is the frequency or pattern of writing dates a scientific criterion in forensic document examination for determining the writer or the existence of interference? Does the habit of writing dates not vary according to the type of entry, such as a daily journal entry compared with an entry addressed to someone, or according to the circumstances in which it was written?

Nurul: The frequency or pattern of writing dates is a characteristic that can be observed, but it is not the only characteristic to prove the identity of a writer.

Nurul was also asked about differences between her findings and those of Dr Linthini Gannetion, a certified handwriting expert who was previously called by Zara’s mother to testify on the examination of the questioned writings.

Dana: Dr Linthini stated that she used the “ACEV” method, namely Analysis, Comparison, Evaluation and Verification. Based on your understanding, what is done under this method, and is it essentially the same as the comparison method used by the Chemistry Department?

Nurul: Based on my understanding, this method is the same.

Dana: In your opinion, are the results of a handwriting examination determined solely by the use of instruments such as Video Spectral Comparator (VSC) or do they depend on the examiner’s skills in identifying, assessing and weighing the characteristics of handwriting?

Nurul: The use of instruments such as VSC is to assist the examination. A comprehensive examination depends on the skills of the document examiner.

Dana: Dr Linthini emphasised that the handwriting of a growing adolescent is volatile and can change within a short period, hence the most reliable comparison is with the most contemporary samples. Do you agree that a person’s handwriting can change over time?

Nurul: Agree.

Dana: If an adolescent’s handwriting is indeed volatile and changes over time, in your opinion, does every small difference in handwriting characteristics at a particular time necessarily indicate a different writer?

Nurul: Not necessarily.

Dana: Dr Linthini, in paragraph 25 of her witness statement, stated that she could not reach any conclusion regarding the writer of Y1A, Y1B, Y2A, Y2B, Y3A, Y3B, Y4A, Y4B, Y5A, Y5B, Y6A, Y6B, Y7A, Y7B, Y8A, Y9A, Y9B and Y10A, among others, due to the absence of contemporary handwriting samples for the period from November 2024 to January 2025.

In your opinion, does the opinion that “no conclusion can be made” mean that the writings were not written by the late Zara Qairina?

Nurul: No.

Dana: Does the opinion that “no conclusion can be made” mean that the writings were written by someone else?

Nurul: No.

Dana: In your previous testimony, you also stated that “Y1” to “Y7” and “Y9” to “Y15” were written by the same person. Is that correct?

Nurul: Correct.

Dana: Please refer to paragraph 21(i) of your second report. Your conclusion was that the writings in W1, W2, W3 and Y1-Y15 were written by the exemplar writer, Zara Qairina Binti Mahathir, correct?

Nurul: Correct.

Dana: Dr Linthini stated that in W2, pages 45, 49 to 51, 58, 59, 61 and 62 contained writings by other individuals besides the late Zara, and she concluded that other people may have had access to W2.

After your comprehensive examination of W2, did you find any pages or portions of W2 that were not written by the exemplar writer?

Nurul: There are writings with slightly different characteristics, but I cannot give an opinion on the writer because there are only a few characters.

Dana: If most of the entries in a journal were written by its owner but there were several lines or entries written by another person, in your opinion, does that necessarily mean that the main entries in the journal were not written by its owner?

Nurul: No.

Dana: Dr Linthini agreed that pages 2, 7 to 14, 25 to 37, 46, 58 to 64, 73 to 84 and 86 to 89 of W3 were not written by the late Zara. So far, are Dr Linthini’s findings consistent with your findings?

Nurul: Yes, consistent.

Dana: In your opinion, does the absence of contemporary samples automatically prevent an examiner from reaching any conclusion, or does it depend on the quality, quantity and consistency of the characteristics of similarities found in the material examined?

Nurul: It depends on the results of the examination, whether similarities or differences are found.

Dana: Based solely on presumptive observations and without confirmatory tests such as ESDA or ink and paper analysis, in your opinion, can an examiner conclude that there are signs of interference in Y1 to Y15?

Nurul: It depends on the type of interference found.

The inquest will resume in October. — Daily Express