Nóra Quoirin death: Malaysian authorities to begin inquest in August

  • Published
Nora QuoirinImage source, Family handout
Image caption,

Nóra Quoirin went missing from her room on 4 August 2019

An inquest into the death of a London teenager found dead while on holiday in Malaysia is scheduled to begin next month.

Nóra Quoirin, 15, whose mother is from Belfast, disappeared from her room at the Dusun resort on 4 August last year.

Her body was found 10 days later about 1.6 miles (2.5km) away.

In January her Irish-French parents, Meabh and Sebastian, expressed shock at the case being closed and called for an inquest.

Nóra was born with holoprosencephaly, a disorder which affects brain development.

Image source, Royal Malaysian Police
Image caption,

Meabh and Sebastien Quorin, pictured during the search for Nóra, say they do not believe she would have wandered off alone

The inquest is set to begin on 24 August, a family statement said, and is expected to last for two weeks.

The statement said: "We have fought very hard to keep Nora's case alive, after it was initially closed by the police in early 2020, and it has been our wish all along to have an inquest.

"This will be crucial in determining the fullest possible picture of what happened to Nora and how her case was dealt with."

Much of the proceedings are expected to take place using video conferencing software.

In January, her parents said they were "shocked" by a decision by the Malaysian Attorney General's Chambers to close the case, "not least because it is based on a preliminary report from the coroner's office".

"As a vulnerable child, with significant physical and mental challenges, we strongly refute any conclusion that Nóra was alone for the entire duration of her disappearance," her parents previously said.

Nora, her parents and her younger brother and sister arrived at the resort in a nature reserve near Seremban, about 39 miles south of Kuala Lumpur, on 3 August for a two-week stay.

The head teacher at Nora's school in Wandsworth, south-west London, paid tribute to her as "a delight to work with".

Nora Quoirin disappearance: Timeline

  • 3 August 2019: The Quoirins arrive at the Dusun forest eco-resort

  • 4 August: Nora disappears from her room

  • 5 August: The Lucie Blackman Trust says Malaysian police are treating Nora's disappearance as a potential abduction, but officers deny any foul play is involved

  • 6 August: Nora's family say they believe she has been abducted

  • 11 August: Malaysian police set up a hotline dedicated to receiving information about teenager

  • 12 August: A reward of £10,000 - donated by an anonymous Belfast business - is made available for information leading to Nora's safe return

  • 13 August: Nora's body is found