The parents of Nóra Quoirin have criticised a documentary on Malaysian television about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and death.
Ms Quoirin (15), who suffered from learning difficulties, went missing on August 4th, 2019 from a rainforest resort in Seremban, about 70km south of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, a day after her family arrived on holiday.
Her naked body was found 10 days later in a deep ravine 3km away.
In January 2021, a coroner in Malaysia ruled that she died as a result of misadventure having wandered out of her family accommodation and become lost.
The verdict was disputed by her parents Meabh and Sebastien who maintain that she was most likely abducted. Nóra’s mother is originally from Belfast and her husband is French. Their family home is in Balham, south London.
The original decision was appealed and in 2021 an open verdict was returned which did not rule out the possibility of foul play.
The Quorins have issued a statement criticising the Malaysian TV3 documentary called Court File which was broadcast on November 29th. They say they were not consulted or informed that the programme was going to be on.
“We were utterly shocked by this news and by the broadcast. Several deeply sensitive and incredibly personal images were shared during the programme that we had never seen before,” they said. “Arguably even more shocking however was how much critical material was missing from the narration, largely handled by a member of the police involved in the search for Nóra.”
They said the 60 minute episode focused on irrelevant things and failed to address how a mentally and physically impaired child could make their way through an impenetrable jungle in darkness.
Nóra was born with holoprosencephaly, a disorder which affects brain development. She had poor motor skills, needed help to walk and her mental age was about five or six, her parents previously said.
The Malaysian police, the Quorins believe, had failed to trigger any investigation into the physical evidence linked to Nóra near where she was found.
They said the official open verdict was mentioned as “an afterthought at the end of the programme with no interpretation or contextualisation.
“This serves to show that the public interest in Nóra’s case remains global and substantial.
“We as a family, and the Malaysian people deserve better answers. We will never stop asking the questions and remain dedicated to the truth, in honour of our beautiful Nóra.”
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