We want the truth about what happened to Nora
Parents to testify by video link as inquest into jungle mystery opens
Fears delay led to clues being missed
THE FAMILY of an Irish teenager found dead in the Malaysian jungle have expressed hope they will finally discover the truth about her disappearance as a long-awaited inquest got under way yesterday.
Relatives of 15-year-old Nora Quoirin, who had learning difficulties and mobility issues, are adamant that she was kidnapped from an eco-lodge on the first night of a two-week family holiday.
The teenager’s unclothed body was found ten days later at the bottom of a ravine more than one mile from the property.
But the police chief in charge of the investigation yesterday insisted there had been no criminal element, standing by a long-held view that Nora had wandered off on her own.
Mohamad Mat Yusop told the inquest that his officers had found nothing suspicious during a search of the family’s cottage at the Dusun resort after her disappearance on August 4 last year.
He said: ‘There was no indication the victim was kidnapped.
‘We did not receive any telephone calls – usually in this kind of case we will get a call to say the victim has been kidnapped and is in the hands of certain people, and they would demand a ransom.’
Mr Yusop believed Nora ‘actually climbed out of the [lodge] window’, which the inquest heard was faulty and could have been opened from the outside.
Nora’s French father Sebastien and Irish mother Meabh have long criticised the police’s theory that their daughter got lost in the 12-acre resort before dying from starvation and stress.
The couple, who live in Balham, south London, have said that Nora, who had a mental age of a five or six year old, did not have the physical capacity to walk that far from the property.
They said Nora, who had holoprosencephaly, affecting brain development, was ‘totally dependent’ on her family and had never left bed before without assistance.
The inquest was yesterday played a recording of Ms Quoirin calling, ‘Nora darling, Nora, Nora, Mummy here’ in the Malaysian jungle during the search that involved hundreds of people.
Nora’s parents are among 64 witnesses due to give evidence at the two-week inquest, though they cannot attend in person because of coronavirus-related travel restrictions. They will give evidence via video conference.
Speaking before the inquest, the couple said: ‘We hope that all avenues surrounding Nora’s disappearance will be fully explored and not just the theory which the police has always favoured.’
A British doctor who conducted a second autopsy on Nora’s body will also testify remotely.
Coroner Maimoonah Aid said the inquest will determine when Nora died, the cause of her death, how she came to her death, and if anyone was criminally involved.
Police immediately categorised Nora’s disappearance from the resort, situated around 80 kilometres from Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, as a missingperson investigation.
Her family feared that the delay in starting a criminal inquiry may have led to vital clues being missed. After the discovery of her body, police categorised the case as needing ‘no further action’.
Dusun resort owner Haanim
Bamadhaj, who gave evidence via video conference yesterday, said Nora’s parents had told her the teenager had only her underwear on when she went missing and that she would hide when she was frightened.
Recalling the night, Ms Haanim, whose house faces the Quorins’ cottage, said it was peaceful and that her dog, who would bark if there were outsiders, was also quiet.
She acknowledged a window of the cottage that was found ajar the morning Nora disappeared was faulty and could be opened from the outside. But she said there have never been any criminal break-ins in her property since it opened 11 years ago.
The Quoirin family has sued the resort owner for alleged negligence. They said Nora had poor motor skills and needed help to walk, and that her mental age was about five or six years old.
Gurdial Singh Nijar, the lawyer for the resort, told reporters after the first day of the inquest that the incident was unfortunate, but ‘there was no culpability’ on the part of the resort owner. The inquest continues.
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