Scotland 'should be ashamed' of childcare system abuse says former orphan who reveals history of beatings and trauma

By Conor Riordan
Daily Record
May 1, 2018

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/crime/scotland-should-ashamed-childcare-system-12462487

Nazareth House in Aberdeen, the children's home was run by Catholic nuns

Scotland “should be ashamed” for failing to face up to a history of abuse and neglect in
the childcare system, a former orphanage resident has said.

The witness, who cannot be named, revealed life at Nazareth House in Aberdeen between 1968 and 1972 consisted of routine beatings, sexual assaults and emotional trauma.

Speaking at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry yesterday, he said his experiences contributed to him serving time in “many prisons” and having a history of “serious” violence.

The man, now in his 50s, said: “Scotland as a country should be ashamed that it’s taken this long for this (inquiry) to happen.

“The 21 years since I reported this, it’s hurt me a lot more than what the care system has.”

The inquiry heard his first day at Nazareth House saw him being locked in a cupboard by a nun.

Despite going to the Catholic-run orphanage with his three sisters, he was separated from them.

After one said his efforts to see them was getting them in trouble, he said his feelings towards them turned from “resentment” to “betrayal”.

Another witness, Christopher Daly, 53, waived his right to anonymity.

He was at Nazareth House from 1974 until he ran away in 1977.

He told the inquiry how one of the nuns would “lash out” and punch children, before placing them in “isolation” as a punishment.

He recalled an occasion where he was placed in the “mortuary” with coffins.

Christopher said: “I wouldn’t know if there was a dead elderly person or not.”

The inquiry in Edinburgh continues.