[Zara Case] Forensic Doctor Reports to Police After Receiving Threats from Netizens Following Testimony

(Sabah, 7th) Dr. Chiu Ching Ching (58), a forensic pathology expert at Sabah Queen Elizabeth Hospital, lodged a police report on Friday (September 5) after receiving threats and intimidation from netizens following her testimony in the inquest into the cause of death of 13-year-old Zara.
Kota Kinabalu District Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Kasim Muda confirmed that Dr. Chiu Ching Ching filed a police report two days after attending court to testify, after being threatened by netizens.
He stated that in Dr. Chiu Ching Ching’s police report, she mentioned that it was through the director of Queen Elizabeth Hospital that she learned that social media was flooded with various threats against her by netizens, and this prompted her to report to the police.

“The hospital director informed her that she had received threats. The police are currently investigating the case.”
During last week’s inquest, Dr. Chiu testified that the deceased, Zara Kailina, could not possibly have accidentally fallen, been pushed, or been toppled from a standing position, causing her to fall from the concrete guardrail next to the dormitory corridor.
She indicated that based on the site investigation, it is more likely the deceased jumped from a higher position or swung down, landing first on her left foot, with the impact force thus transferred to her upper body.
She also told the court that Zara’s remains had reached a stage of moderate to severe decomposition, which matched the timeline of her burial.
She added that the deceased’s injuries were consistent with medical records, computer tomography (CT), CT angiography (CTA), and X-ray findings. As to whether the act was a voluntary jump, that decision still needed to be ruled by the court.
Her above testimony immediately triggered questions from some netizens. Some even mocked her findings and qualifications, posting insulting statements.

Meanwhile, Hamid Ismail, the lawyer representing Zara’s mother, urged the public to respect Dr. Chiu Ching Ching’s forensic testimony, stating that insulting and belittling her professionalism has no value.
Hamid Ismail also posted on his personal social media, indicating that their legal team would cross-examine her again next week.
Currently 58 years old, Dr. Chiu Ching Ching has served at Queen Elizabeth Hospital since 1998. She holds a medical degree from Universiti Sains Malaysia and a Master’s in Pathology from the University of Malaya.
She is also a member of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), Malaysian Association of Forensic Medicine and Science, and the Indo-Pacific Association of Law, Medicine, and Science.
As a forensic expert, she leads or supervises 100 to 150 autopsies annually, and appears as an expert witness 10 to 15 times a year in the lower courts, magistrates’ courts, and high courts of Sabah and Labuan.