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Tragic student, 18, was gassed to death in holiday cottage owned by Queen’s aide

● Aristocrat’s firm guilty over carbon monoxide horror caused by faulty heaters ● Sheriff could impose massive fine or even jail term under health and safety laws

By Gordon Currie

A STUDENT died after being poisoned by a faulty heater at a holiday home owned by one of Scotland’s foremost aristocratic families.

Thomas Hill was overcome by carbon monoxide while visiting a cottage owned by the Earl and Countess of Dalhousie and their son Lord Ramsay.

He was found slumped unconscious against the bathroom door next to gas heater that was making a buzzing noise.

Despite desperate attempts by his girlfriend and paramedics to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead in an ambulance while being taken to hospital.

Last week, a company owned by Lord Dalhousie, a landowner who is also Lord Steward to the Royal Household, admitted it had failed properly to maintain the heating system in the cottage.

Son Lord Ramsay, heir to the 17th Earl of Dalhousie and owner of Burghill Farms, which ran the cottage, also offered an apology to Mr Hill’s family.

Mr Hill, 18, a first-year student at Stirling University who worked for an animal sanctuary, was staying at Glenmark Cottage, in the Cairngorms National Park, with his girlfriend Charlotte Beard and her family in October 2015.

One afternoon, Mr Hill, who was from the New Forest, went for a bath, locking the bathroom door behind him. The heater in the room then malfunctioned and let off a plume of deadly carbon monoxide.

After some time, his concerned party forced the door open to find him slumped against it.

‘The heater should never have been in bathroom’

CPR was frantically carried out, but to no avail. He died while being taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.

On Friday, at Dundee Sheriff Court, Earl Dalhousie and Lord Ramsay’s company admitted exposing holidaymakers to the risk of injury or death from poisoning.

Retired private school teacher Piers Le Cheminant, who sub-let the property close to the Dalhousie family pile, Brechin Castle, also admitted the same health and safety failings. Both now face massive fines or even imprisonment for their failings.

At a hearing last week, the court heard that damage to heaters at the family’s holiday cottage was ‘a crucial factor’ in the student’s death.

Investigations found four gas cabinet heaters in the house should not have been fitted due to the small sizes of the rooms.

The court was told that days before Mr Hill’s death, concerns had been raised about the safety of the heating system by other holidaymakers, who complained of noises coming from the cabinets and a woman’s eyes stinging.

In response, Le Cheminant instructed a local gas engineer to take a look but it later emerged that he was not qualified to undertake the check.

On Friday, fiscal depute Gavin Callaghan revealed that a post-mortem examination found the cause of Mr Hill’s death was carbon monoxide poisoning. He said: ‘The Beard family had rented a holiday cottage – Glenmark Cottage – which is near to Tarfside, north-west of the village of Edzell. The Cottage is owned by Burghill Farms. During the period of the libel, the partners of the firm were the Earl and Countess of Dalhousie, and their son, Lord Ramsay.

‘Mr Le Cheminant is a longstanding user of the cottage... and has leased it since 2008, with permission to sub-lease it as a holiday let.

‘The facilities might properly be described as basic. Heating and lighting was provided by gas-burning appliances and candles.’

Lord Ramsay’s company and Le Cheminant both admitted exposing people to the risk of death at Glenmark Cottage for more than seven years. They admitted that between March 1, 2008, and October 28, 2015, they failed to ensure gas cabinet heaters were maintained in a safe condition to prevent the risk of injury to holiday residents.

They admitted the heaters were being used in rooms which were far too small and not well enough ventilated and were also not being sufficiently maintained.

Mr Callaghan said an investigation found there had been cracks in the heater and it was found to be producing carbon monoxide wildly in excess of safe levels. He added: ‘The heater should never have been in the bathroom. Neither Burghill Farms nor Mr Le Cheminant had a proactive system of maintenance.

‘All four heaters were in rooms in which they should not have been placed because the rooms were too small and inadequately ventilated. They exposed persons within these rooms to risk.’

Sheriff Gillian Wade deferred sentence until later this month.

A fatal accident inquiry into Mr Hill’s death is still to take place.

After Friday’s hearing, lawyers for both accused offered apologies to the family of Mr Hill. Lord Simon Ramsay said: ‘We offer our deepest condolences to Thomas Hill’s family and friends for their tragic loss and hope that today’s proceedings and the fatal accident inquiry will give them some comfort.’

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