An 18-year-old university student died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a portable heater in an aristocrat's cottage that shouldn't have been used indoors, an inquest was told.
Tom Hill was about to have a bath when he inhaled the highly poisonous gas leaking out of the heater at Glenmark Cottage, nestled in the Scottish Highlands, and collapsed shortly afterwards.
The Stirling University student had been staying with his girlfriend Charlotte and her immediate family in October 28, 2015, where it was heard the device was situated in a bathroom, which had windows sealed by paint and was 'simply too small'.
Winchester Coroner's Court was told an alarm sounded the night before Tom had died, which prompted Charlotte's father Mark Beard to switch off various devices in the kitchen, but it hadn't occurred to him to vacate the property.
Mr Beard told the inquest that the LPG Heaters were 'ubiquitously used' at the property which was heated by a wood-burning stove and portable heaters, but had no electricity or mains gas.
He said there were no clear instructions on the heater saying it shouldn't be used indoors, and described not checking the device despite being informed by his son that it was switched on as one of his 'life long regrets'.
'The night before Tom died, that alarm did activate,' he told the coroner's court: 'What I did was turn off all appliances in that kitchen that I thought may be sources of carbon monoxide.
'The kitchen was the place where there was the greatest number of those sources,' he added:'One of my life long regrets is that I didn't take his information about the bathroom heater as seriously as I should have done.'
'I didn't tell anyone to get out of the cottage, it didn't occur to met to get out of the cottage.'
Mr. Beard mentioned that he had frequently visited the cottage throughout his life, noting that it was formerly owned by the Earl of Dalhousie and his successor Lord Ramsay. He referred to the setting as an 'enchanted paradise' where one can truly relax.
Even though it belongs to the Dalhousie estate, it was leased by former educator Piers Le Cheminent.
The night of the aquaculture student, who had a keen interest in wildlife and nature's, death, Charlotte's father recalled his daughter 'knocking' on the bathroom door and calling for him.
When I noticed the shift in her vocal tone, which sounded more anxious, it really caught my interest," he explained. "I hurried down to investigate and found that my wife and son had arrived before me.
' Charlotte felt deeply upset upon receiving no reply from Tom.'
Mr. Beard mentioned that he requested his adolescent son to get a wooden axe, which they then employed to forcefully break open the sturdy door of the bathroom.
The engineer mentioned a 'highly intense' environment when entering the chamber, noting it was 'warm and damp'.
Characterizing it as an intensely physical encounter, he remarked, "The environment was sweltering with exceedingly moist air – it felt like you could literally sense its presence."
Mr. Beard mentioned that there was a strong odor of unignited gas and noted that "it smelled as though the heater wasn’t functioning correctly." He also pointed out that the unit was producing an unusually loud humming noise.
Mr Beard said he lifted Tom out of the bathroom and carried him downstairs and outside into the 'fresh air'.
An ambulance was called for the teenager but he passed away in the vehicle, which was travelling from Brechin to Dundee.
'Carbon monoxide is very much a silent killer and as much awareness when using potentially lethal devices that can be raised is so much better for everybody,' he said.
Jerry Hill, Tom's father, told the inquest that his son was 'very interested in wildlife and nature' with a particular interest in understanding how different creatures interacted.
'He didn't live a very long life but in the short time he had, he really made the most of his time,' he said.
'He had his whole ahead of him,' Mr Hill said of his son, who he described as 'very passionate' about the practice of aquaculture.
The bereaved father thinks that additional measures are necessary regarding how to respond when a carbon monoxide detector goes off.
'It should be made really clear to people what to do in these circumstances,' he added,' 'I don't think people do know what to do when [alarms] go off.'
Now, almost 10 years after his death, Jason Pegg - area coroner for Hampshire, Southampton, and Portsmouth - delivered an accidental death conclusion, but said he will raise a prevention of future deaths report into the use of such devices.
The coroner addressed Mr and Mrs Hill saying, "Clearly, you take great pride in your son Tom, who has flourished during his 18-year journey through life, just as you have mentioned."
It's profoundly heartbreaking that Tom had ambitious plans for his future with his aquaculture degree, along with a girlfriend and loving parents to support him.
When he passed away, he was spending some peaceful moments in a secluded, picturesque cottage in Scotland with his girlfriend and her relatives.
The coroner referred to the LPG heaters in the bathroom and said: 'It is quite clear that this type of heater, and the size of heater, shouldn't have been used in the bathroom which I'm told had the size of 11 cubic metres.
'The bathroom was simply too small for for that heater.
'In addition, there was no ventilation. The windows had been painted shut and could not be opened.'
Mr. Pegg additionally mentioned that "there was damage to the heater," which "worsened" both the burning of the gas and how quickly it was released.
He determined that Tom breathed in a 'lethal amount' of the gas as he got ready for his bath.
The coroner said he will issue a prevention of future deaths report relating to the warning on the heater.
'There is a warning within the box where you put the gas canister, but anyone, such as the Beard family, turning up to a rented cottage, they would not know that the heater should not be used in such close confines,' Mr Pegg told the inquest.
'In rented cottages, and tenant cottages, there are going to be heaters of this sort which are in rooms which are too small [and] this gives rise to future deaths.
'As you sadly know, carbon monoxide is very much a silent killer and as much awareness when using potentially lethal devices that can be raised is so much better for everybody.'
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