The death of a Lanarkshire 13-year-old girl who suffered alone and in agony while her mum went to the pub is to be probed at an inquiry.
Robyn Goldie was abandoned in the final stages of her life by a mother who claimed the schoolgirl was "attention seeking" when a friend tried to take her to hospital in a taxi.
She died alone at her Wishaw home after begging her mum for help, complaining she was "hurting all over", as she suffered from an infection caused by a perforated stomach ulcer.
Now a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) will be held to investigate the circumstances that led to the horrific chain of events, with a preliminary hearing scheduled to take place in July this year, five years after Robyn's death.
The investigation will have a particular focus on interactions with social work services, and will be used to establish facts, rather than apportion blame.
Robyn's mother Sharon Goldie was convicted of wilful ill treatment and neglect of her daughter in the year leading up to her death as she failed to seek medical treatment for her when she became ill.
High Court prosecutor Kenny Donnelly spoke out in the aftermath of the horrific case.
He said: “By putting her own interests above caring for her daughter, Sharon Goldie completely failed in her duty as a parent."
Goldie was eventually jailed for three and a half years at the High Court in Edinburgh.
The 45-year-old also admitted biting, hitting, pulling Robyn's hair, spitting at her, failing to provide food, clothing and heating, and allowing her to drink alcohol and smoke cannabis.
Robyn was found slumped and unresponsive on the sofa when Goldie returned from the pub with a friend.
When the friend checked on Robyn she was found to be dead. An ambulance was called but Goldie told paramedics: "She's at it."
When she was told that her daughter had passed away she began wailing and said: "No. she cannot be."
The court heard that the child suffered horrifying neglect when living with her mother and at times was reduced to begging for money for food.
Robyn had previously enjoyed a stable life while living with her grandmother, but returned to live with her mother in 2017.
This FAI follows the prosecution and conviction of Robyn’s mother, Sharon Goldie, in August 2020 for wilful ill treatment and neglect of her daughter in the year leading up to her death in July 2018. Robyn’s mother failed to seek medical treatment for her when she became ill.
The inquiry will be heard on July 3 at Hamilton Sheriff Court, and in a statement issued today, Procurator Fiscal Katrina Parkes, said: "The Lord Advocate considers that the death of Robyn Goldie occurred in circumstances giving rise to significant public concern and as such a discretionary Fatal Accident Inquiry should be held.
“An FAI will allow a full public airing of all the available evidence at which interested parties will be represented. The evidence will be tested in a public setting and be the subject of an independent judicial determination.”
The Sheriff will issue a determination following the consideration of all the evidence.
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