Orkney students found dead in hotel after ‘suicide pact’

Two young men from the Northern Isles were found dead in a hotel room in Ayrshire after an apparent suicide pact.

Edinburgh University students Robert Miller and James Robertson are believed to have used a device linked to a laptop to give themselves lethal doses of medication.

It is thought they may even have used a webcam to record their own deaths and post footage on the internet.

The pair, who were both in their early 20s and from Orkney, were described last night by people on the island as “friendly young men” who had been close friends since they were children.

Residents in their small island communities were still struggling to come to terms with the tragedy last night, with many at a loss to understand why such “bright lads” would take their own lives.

Many were too upset to speak about the tragedy last night, but a friend said: “I couldn’t believe it when I heard and it’s still not sunk in for anyone here.

“You read about these things in the paper but you never think it will happen to someone you know.

“James had a really good, dry sense of humour, I used to work with him at the (Tods of Orkney) oatcake factory.

“On his breaks at work he used to play sudoku. He was great with numbers.”

It is believed both of the men were studying maths and physics.

The friend added: “The tragedy is especially hard to believe because Jim and Robert were two of the cleverest people in school.

“I just don’t understand it because they had so many friends.”

Their bodies were discovered in a room at the Ramada Jarvis hotel at Ayr.

Strathclyde Police said they were investigating the deaths but they were not being treated as suspicious.

Mr Robertson’s parents, Barbara and William, of Redroof Cottage, South End, Stromness, travelled to the mainland after their son’s body was discovered by hotel staff.

Mr Miller’s parents, James and Christine, of Heddle Road, Finstown, also went to Ayrshire after being contacted by police.

Yesterday, the families had the harrowing task of identifying the two men’s bodies.

Mr and Mrs Miller are directors of the company which owns The Orcadian newspaper.

Stromness councillor Ian Johnstone said last night: “Everyone is just absolutely stunned.

“They were very well known in the local community and I think most people here would have known them, or knows someone who knew them.”

He added: “One of the boys went to the same school as my son, so when we heard the news it hit our family very hard.

“They were good guys and they will be very badly missed.”

The two men arrived at the hotel at Ayr on Tuesday and were said to have been “happy and chatty” when they spoke to staff. When they missed their check-out time the following day, an employee went to their room and found them dead, slumped in chairs facing each other.

A spokesman for The Ramada Jarvis hotel declined to comment.