Nora Quoirin’s family welcome inquest into London teenager's death in Malaysia

The family of a London teenager who disappeared from a Malaysian nature resort last year said an inquest into her death will be "crucial" in determining what happened to the 15-year-old.

Nora Anne Quoirin went missing from an eco-resort in Dusun, Malaysia on August 4, 2019 before her body was found 10 days later 1.6 miles away by a waterfall in dense jungle.

Malaysian police said she had been dead for two or three days when she was found, and medical examiners said she died from “intestinal bleeding, likely from prolonged hunger and stress.”

Her family have welcomed the news that an inquest will be held into the vulnerable teenager's death in Malaysia.

In a statement the family 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.”

The family said they will appear via video-link to give evidence after the coroner’s court in the city of Seremban set the inquest to begin on August 24.

In January, Nora’s family urged the Malaysia government to hold an inquest as they began suing the resort’s owner for alleged negligence over their daughter’s disappearance.

Police have said there was no sign the 15-year-old had been abducted or raped, with a preliminary post-mortem investigation showing that she succumbed to intestinal bleeding due to starvation and stress.

Sankara Nair, a lawyer for Nora’s parents Meabh and Sebastien Quoirin, said the family strongly believed Nora was abducted due to her mental and physical disabilities meaning she could not have wandered off on her own.

The lawsuit said a cottage window was found ajar, with its latch broken, on the morning she disappeared.

Nora had poor motor skills and needed help to walk, and her mental age was about five or six years old, her parents said in the claim.

Charity LBT, which supports British nationals overseas and issued Friday’s statement on the family’s behalf, also welcomed the announcement.

Chief executive Matthew Searle said: “This is a big step forward for the family in establishing the facts over what happened to their daughter.

“We applaud this action and look forward to a comprehensive process that may lead to answers for the family.”

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