It feels like a lifetime ago, yet the details are so sharp they could cut. October 2015. A remote Highland cottage in Angus, Scotland. A young man with his whole life ahead of him.
Tom Hill was only 18. He was a student at Stirling University, obsessed with wildlife and ecosystems. He wasn't some reckless kid; he was a guy who understood how the world worked, or at least he thought he did. But he didn't know about the silent killer lurking in the bathroom of that "idyllic" holiday rental.
Justice for Tom Hill isn't just a catchy slogan for a social media campaign. It’s a decade-long battle for accountability that finally reached a boiling point in a Winchester courtroom in 2025. Honestly, when you hear the specifics of how this went down, it’s hard not to feel a bit of rage.
The Silent Killer at Glenmark Cottage
Imagine you're on holiday. You're at Glenmark Cottage, a place with no mains gas or electricity. It sounds peaceful, right? Sorta like a total escape from the noise of the world.
On October 28, Tom went to take a bath. Inside that small, cramped bathroom was a mobile LPG (liquified petroleum gas) cabinet heater. It was an old model, manufactured in Spain back in 2004.
Here is the thing: the heater was broken.
A ceramic burner plaque was cracked. Because the room was tiny and the windows had literally been painted shut, there was nowhere for the fumes to go. Carbon monoxide—the "silent killer" because you can't see it, smell it, or taste it—filled the room.
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Tom never walked out of that bathroom.
His girlfriend’s father, Mark Beard, eventually had to break down the door with a wood axe. He found Tom slumped behind the door. The bath was still running.
Why Did It Take Ten Years?
You’ve probably seen the headlines about the 2025 inquest. Why did it take ten years to get a "Prevention of Future Deaths" report?
Bureaucracy. Basically, that’s the short answer.
There was a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) in Scotland first. Then came the inquest at Winchester Coroner’s Court under Coroner Jason Pegg. For a decade, Tom’s parents, Jerry and Alison Hill, had to live with the "what ifs."
- What if the gas engineer who inspected the heater just seven days prior had noticed the crack?
- What if the carbon monoxide alarm that went off the night before hadn't been dismissed as a fluke?
- What if there were actual warning labels on the outside of the heater instead of tucked away where only a technician would see them?
The legal system moves at a glacial pace. It’s frustrating. It's exhausting. But for the Hill family, the wait was about ensuring no other family has to find their son behind a locked bathroom door.
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The Fight for Better Safety Standards
During the June 2025 inquest, some pretty damning evidence came out. At the time of Tom’s death, there were only eight gas engineers in the entire country of Scotland qualified to work on those specific mobile heaters.
Eight. Out of over 11,000.
That is a massive gap in safety oversight. Coroner Jason Pegg didn't mince words in his report to the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). He pointed out that while there were warnings inside the heater, they were useless to a holidaymaker. You don't take apart a heater when you're just trying to warm up a bathroom for a soak.
Key Failures Identified:
- Ventilation: The windows were painted shut. In a room that small, that's a death sentence when using a flueless gas heater.
- Product Design: The heater had no external warning labels regarding room size requirements.
- Maintenance: A professional inspection just a week before failed to identify a fatal mechanical flaw.
What Real Justice Looks Like
Justice for Tom Hill isn't about a massive settlement or a "gotcha" moment. It’s about the "Prevention of Future Deaths" report.
This isn't just some dusty piece of paper. It’s a legal mandate. It forces the government and product manufacturers to answer for their failures. The Hill family has been pushing for "Tom’s Law" style changes—specifically requiring holiday rentals to have clear, visible signage for CO alarms and stricter rules on flueless heaters in confined spaces.
If you're staying in an Airbnb or a remote cottage this weekend, check the heaters. Seriously.
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Look for a CO alarm. If there isn't one, buy a portable one. They’re twenty bucks. It’s a small price to pay when you realize how easily things can go wrong.
Moving Forward: Actionable Steps
We can't bring Tom back. But we can make sure his story changes how we think about "quaint" holiday rentals.
- Check for Alarms: Never stay in a property with gas appliances that doesn't have an audible carbon monoxide alarm in the same room.
- Inspect Flueless Heaters: If you see a mobile gas heater in a bathroom or bedroom, don't use it. These are meant for large, well-ventilated spaces.
- Demand Transparency: If you’re a host, provide the instruction manuals. Don't hide them in a drawer.
- Support Safety Legislation: Follow the progress of the OPSS review triggered by the 2025 report. Public pressure ensures these recommendations don't just sit on a shelf.
The tragedy at Glenmark Cottage was preventable. That’s the hardest part to swallow. But through the persistence of his family, Tom’s legacy is now a blueprint for saving lives.
Keep an eye on the official responses from the Office for Product Safety and Standards. Their deadline to respond to the coroner’s concerns was September 2025, and the rollout of new safety labels is currently being debated in Parliament. This is how we make sure "Justice for Tom Hill" actually means something for the next person who just wants to take a bath on their holiday.
Next Steps for You:
Check your own home for carbon monoxide detectors. If they are more than seven years old, the sensors might be dead even if the battery "test" button beeps. Replace them today. It’s the most direct way to honor the lessons learned from this case.