Mum who left daughter to die on sofa had removed girl's bedroom door so she could hear her having sex
A mother removed her daughter's bedroom door exposing her to the sex she was having with random men before her death, an inquiry has heard. Sharon Goldie has been previously imprisoned for forcing 13-year-old Robyn to live in horrific conditions in the run up to her last moments.
Goldie, 49, left her daughter to die on their living room sofa after dismissing the child's complaints of feeling seriously ill as the teenager "exaggerating". Leaving her to watch Tipping Point, the cruel mum abandoned their Wishaw, Lanarkshire home to go drinking at a local pub in 2018.
She later continued her drinking spree outside their home with another person, but upon checking on Robyn, discovered that the girl had stopped breathing. The cause of the schoolgirl's death was determined to be peritonitis and a perforated duodenal ulcer.
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Goldie, who frequently drank and "entertained men at home", had removed Robyn's bedroom door, leading to suspicions that the young girl was exposed to the sexual activities occurring in her home, according to an inquiry.
In 2020, Goldie was also sentenced to three years and six months in prison for forcing the teenager to live in deplorable conditions. At one point the unsanitary conditions she was subjected to including cat urine and faeces in the house, resulted in the girl contracting fleas, which Goldie admitted to, reports the Mirror.
The mother confessed to wilful ill treatment and neglect between July 2017 and July 2018, pleading guilty to several other charges, including failing to provide her daughter with adequate food, clothing or heating, and allowing her to consume alcohol and smoke cannabis.
Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC had demanded an inquiry following the death of the schoolgirl, declaring it a matter of "serious public concern". The hearing will be looking into what precautions could have been taken to avoid the tragedy, as well as those that could be implemented in the future to prevent similar deaths.
Robyn reportedly confided in social workers that she had witnessed her mother engaging in sexual acts with men at their house. The information appears to have been transmitted through the proper channels, with concerns raised about her welfare to social services.
It emerged at Hamilton Sheriff Court's fatal accident inquiry that tension escalated to a crisis point when Robyn was sent back to live with her mother after eight years with her grandmother. Maggie Mellon, an independent social worker aged 70 who was connected with the case, said: "The biggest question was whether she could safely stay in her mother's care and it was thought she could be made safe through advice and guidance.
"There was some disturbing evidence being known such as that Robyn did not have a bedroom door which had been taken off by Sharon and had never been put back again. Her mother had been entertaining men at home drunk and Robyn had been exposed to her mother's sexual activity and there were adult men in the house behaving inappropriately towards Robyn in the home."
Goldie also expressed to social workers that caring for her daughter was "causing her stress". The inquiry also heard that Goldie had advised Robyn against reporting an alleged rape to avoid court processes. Despite council personnel instructing Goldie to provide full details about the alleged incident, these instructions were not followed, as heard in Hamilton Sheriff Court.
During the inquiry, social worker Brian McNott, 39, gave a stark account, saying: "Robyn had made an allegation of rape and Sharon's response to that I found to be really concerning. I felt it was a really underwhelming response to something that her daughter had said she had gone through and she spoke Robyn down from seeking police intervention. We had to direct Sharon to get Robyn a doctor's appointment and we found out that she didn't give full information in respect of the allegation of rape to the doctor. That was a real concern of her ability to make sure Robyn was safe and to get her medical intervention if required."