SEREMBAN (Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia), Jan 4 (Bernama) — The Coroner’s Court here Monday ruled that Franco-Irish teenager Nora Anne Quoirin died due to misadventure.
Coroner Maimoonah Aid in her verdict in the inquest of Nora Anne’s death said that after hearing all the relevant evidence, she held that there was no one involved in her death.
“It is more probable than not that she died by misadventure, that is, she had gone out from Sora House on her own (the chalet where she and her family were staying when they arrived in Malaysia on Aug 3, 2019) and subsequently got lost in an abandoned oil palm plantation.
For me to speculate and presume involvement of a third party without any proven facts would be a breach of my duty. The inquiry is hereby closed,” she said.
Nora Anne, 15, was found missing on Aug 4, 2019, a day after she and her family arrived in Malaysia for a two-week vacation at a resort in Pantai here, about 60 kilometres south of Kuala Lumpur.
Maimoonah, in her three-hour proceedings, also held that the proven facts showed that there was no elements of suicide, homicide and natural death in Nora Anne’s death.
A total of 48 witnesses, including the teenager’s parents, Meabh Jaseprine Quoirin and Sebastien Quoirin, testified during the inquest proceedings which began on August 24 last year.
Today’s proceedings were also broadcast live online through the official portal of the Malaysian Judiciary and its official YouTube and Facebook ‘The Malaysian Judiciary’ and was conducted in English and Bahasa Malaysia.
Conducting officer Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Ahmad Sazali Omar was assisted by DPPs Nuralis Mat, Nurhafizah Haron and Nur’atiqah Sapari while lawyer S. Sakthyvell led the family’s counsel team with Louise Azmi and Lydia Ng Huey Mei assisting while The Dusun Resort (the resort the family was staying) was represented by lawyers Alliff Benjamin Suhaimi dan Gurdial Singh Nijar.
Sakthyvell, when approached, said the family was disappointed with the decision.
“I have informed the family what their rights are for further action and it is up to them whether they intend to do so. The family is disappointed with today’s decision,” he said.
Alliff Benjamin, when met outside the court, said his side accepted the decision and did not plan to take any further action.
“We accept the decision by the Coroner and hope all parties can accept it, what has happened is very unfortunate, saddening and we hope all can continue with their lives after this,” he said.
On August 13, 10 days after Nora Anne was reported missing, her body was found near a creek in a ravine located about 2.5 kilometres from the resort where she and her family stayed, following a massive search.
The preliminary post-mortem report stated that the death of the teenager with disabilities had no criminal elements, and she was confirmed to have died from gastrointestinal bleeding due to prolonged hunger and stress.
— BERNAMA