Judge Asks If Head of Religious Order Did Not Want to Know Details

By Stephen Naysmith
Herald Scotland
June 14, 2017

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15345616.Judge_asks_if_head_of_religious_order_did_not_want_to_know_details/

One of the clear intentions of Lady Smith, chairwoman of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, has been to give organisations which potentially might face criticism later, the chance to acknowledge historic failings early on in the process.

In that context, she may have been unimpressed by Sister Flynn’s claims that nuns who worked there at the time abuse is alleged can only recall that a lot of “good things” happened for the children.

The claim, for instance, that birthdays were celebrated with presents, parties and cakes, may be directly contradicted by former residents still to speak, who say presents and cakes delivered by relatives were routinely confiscated.

Sister Flynn also said that she had only spoken briefly to the surviving sisters about the abuse claims, before the order’s lawyers took over.

And when Sister Flynn appeared not to have studied the detail of abuse claims, Lady Smith was openly surprised. “Why not, don’t you want to know?”, the judge said.

“It might be a valuable source of learning for you, not just about what happened in the past but what systems might need to be in the future?”

Similarly, the inquiry’s chief solicitor Colin Macaulay homed in on her claim that no records could be found of abuse taking place.

He asked her, “Would you truly expect a record to be made of abuse?” – Sister Flynn evaded the thrust of the question. “Hardly anything was written down, that’s one of the difficulties,” she said.

Not all of those who claim abuse took place at Smyllum Park are still alive to testify before the inquiry - including campaigner Frank Docherty, who died not long before public hearings began.

But some are expected to give evidence, along with Mr Docherty who left a comprehensive written statement. Among his claims was that when children died through accident or disease, nuns would not speak about it and orphans were not commemorated. However he remembered having to kiss the forehead of a dead nun – who he said had abused him –as she lay awaiting a requiem mass and burial in St Mary’s Cemetery, where nuns are memorialised with gilt-edged marble headstones, while nearby the graves of children from the home still remain, anonymous and unmarked.