KOTA KINABALU, Sept. 9 -- A neurosurgeon told the inquest into the death of 13-year-old schoolgirl Zara Qairina Mahathir that he had spoken to her mother and some family members after realising she had suffered irreversible brain damage and faced a poor prognosis.

Testifying as the fourth witness in the coroner's court, Dr Pavankumar Balachandran from Queen Elizabeth Hospital's Neurosurgery Department said he also recalled informing family members about Zara's time and cause of death after she succumbed to her injuries on July 17.

Accused by Zara's mother of not being informed of the cause of death, Dr Pavankumar insisted he had spoken to family members, including her mother, when he first realised Zara's poor prognosis and again after ...