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. 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. Goldie pleaded guilty to several charges, including failing to provide her daughter with adequate food, clothing or heating.
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 was reported to social services, with concerns raised about her welfare.
It emerged at Hamilton Sheriff Court’s fatal accident inquiry that tension escalated when Robyn was sent back to live with her mother after eight years with her grandmother. Maggie Mellon, an independent social worker aged 70 connected with the case, highlighted that Robyn did not have a bedroom door due to Goldie removing it. Goldie had been entertaining men at home, and Robyn was exposed to her mother’s sexual activity. Goldie also expressed to social workers that caring for her daughter was “causing her stress”.
During the inquiry, social worker Brian McNott, 39, raised concerns about Goldie’s response to Robyn’s allegation of rape. Social services had to direct Goldie to get Robyn a doctor’s appointment but found that she did not give full information regarding the alleged incident to the doctor. The inquiry aims to investigate the circumstances leading to Robyn’s tragic death.