Family of Nora Quoirin still have 'unanswered questions' after inquest

16 January 2021, 07:42

The mother of a London schoolgirl found dead during a holiday in a Malaysian jungle said there is "compelling evidence" showing the 15-year-old was abducted.

The body of Nora Quoirin was discovered dead nine days after she went missing from the resort in August 2019.

An inquest into her death was held in the country and a coroner ruled Nora's death was accidental rather than criminal, and said there was no third-party involvement.

Her family said testimony during the inquest in the south-east Asian state showed she was abducted, and branded this month's official findings "incomplete".

In an interview with Irish broadcaster RTE, Meabh Quoirin said: "When we went into the inquest, we had a lot of unanswered questions and while many of those questions cannot be answered we actually found out a great deal about what went on during those 10 days when Nora was missing.

"In fact we felt it really strengthened our case, our belief, that Nora was abducted and we found some compelling evidence to support our view on that."

Nora was born with holoprosencephaly - a disorder which affects brain development - and her family have said she would not have wandered off on her own.

The teenager had poor motor skills, needed help to walk, and her mental age was about five or six, her parents previously said.

The family were staying at Dusun eco-resort near Seremban, about 40 miles south of the capital Kuala Lumpur and reported Nora missing the day after they had arrived.

Her naked body was discovered beside a small stream about 1.6 miles from the resort.

RTE said the family would appeal to the High Court in Seremban for a re-examination of the evidence heard at the inquest.

Ms Quoirin said: "When we started this we wanted to find out what happened during the ten days in Malaysia but we also of course want justice for Nora and we will continue to fight for that."