DUMBARTON SEX KILLER ROBERT GEMMILL LINKED TO SCOTLAND'S WORST MASS MURDER AT STONEFIELD CASTLE

In a chilling case that has shocked the community of Dumbarton and the wider region of Argyll, Robert Gemmill, a man with a long history of violent and sexual offenses, was linked to the brutal murder of a young girl at Stonefield Castle Hotel in Tarbert during the summer of 1974.

Gemmill, a gardener and handyman from Dumbarton, had been recognized as a psychopath from the age of 16. His troubled past included multiple assaults on women, which led to his prolonged detention in mental health institutions. Despite spending 14 years in maximum-security facilities such as Carstairs State Hospital in Lanarkshire, he was released into the community after doctors declared him cured, a decision that would have tragic consequences.

The victim, Lynda Jane Walters, was a beautiful English schoolgirl on holiday with her parents, June and Michael Walters. The family was staying at the luxurious Stonefield Castle Hotel, nestled in the scenic surroundings of Tarbert, Argyll. On that fateful day, Lynda decided to stay behind while her parents visited an ancient Campbell burial ground nearby. Her decision to remain in the hotel grounds would prove to be a fatal mistake.

Within moments of her walk, Lynda was attacked. Her bloodstained body was discovered just 150 yards from the hotel’s main entrance. She had been stabbed at least twelve times with a sheath knife wielded by the maniacal Gemmill. The scene was horrific; a police officer described her injuries as brutal, with the teenager butchered and stabbed repeatedly in a savage attack that left the community in shock.

Authorities quickly turned their attention to Robert Gemmill after reviewing hotel staff lists and uncovering his disturbing background. His history was marked by violent assaults dating back to his teenage years. At just 16, he was remanded for attacking a girl, and a year later, he was committed to a psychiatric hospital following an assault on a younger girl and an older woman. His violent tendencies persisted, culminating in an attack on a pregnant social worker, which resulted in his detention at Carstairs.

Despite his violent past, Gemmill was released from the hospital, a decision that would be heavily scrutinized in the aftermath of the murder. Initially, he was accused of Lynda-Jane’s murder, but after psychiatric evaluations, the Crown reduced the charge to culpable homicide. During his trial at the High Court in Oban, Gemmill claimed innocence, asserting he had only found her body after hearing screams and had seen a stranger fleeing the scene holding a knife. He insisted he was too horrified to report what he saw and accused police of fabricating a confession.

The jury, however, took only 15 minutes to convict him. A psychiatrist testified that Gemmill’s mental condition was virtually untreatable, noting that although he suffered from a personality disorder, he was deemed sane at the time of the crime. As the verdict was delivered, Michael Walters, the victim’s father, broke down in tears. Justice Lord Kincraig sentenced Gemmill to indefinite detention, emphasizing the dangerous nature of his past and the brutal murder.

The judge remarked on the troubling question of whether individuals like Gemmill, who had exhibited vicious and sadistic tendencies, should ever be released back into society. The case remains a stark reminder of the failures in the mental health and criminal justice systems, and the devastating impact of releasing a known violent offender into the community of Dumbarton and beyond.