KILMARNOCK (UNITED KINGDOM)
The Herald [Glasgow, Scotland, UK]
January 15, 2026
By Gabriel McKay
Two former nuns and a retired support workers have been sentenced for abusing vulnerable children, with one jailed for 15 months.
The offences occurred at two homes run by the Catholic order The Sisters of Nazareth in Lasswade and Kilmarnock.
Carol Buirds, 75, Eileen McElhinney, 78, and Dorothy Kane, 68, were found guilty of subjecting multiple victims to cruel and unnatural treatment between 1972 and 1981.
The prosecution presented verbal accounts from former residents, an ex-staff member and a social worker in a five-week trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
Ms Buirds, who was known as Sister Carmel Rose, was found guilty of 13 charges including assault to severe injury.
Her offences included rubbing urine-soaked bedding on children and forcing food and soap into their mouths.
She also locked one child in a cupboard and another in an unlit cellar without access to water.
She was also found to have repeatedly assaulted children, often using implements such as a belt, a wooden ruler, and a stick.
Ms McElhinney, who was known as Sister Mary Eileen, was found guilty of five charges including assault.
As well as violently assaulting young children, she also forced them to stand in cold showers and sit in cold baths.
She used a hairbrush to hit one child on the buttocks and hurt another with a metal comb, refusing to stop brushing his hair despite him being in pain.
Ms Kane was found guilty of two charges of cruel and unnatural treatment for repeatedly grabbing a boy, including by the hair, and restraining him by forcing her knees onto his chest.
She also failed to intervene when witnessing another member of staff assaulting the child and forced a second young person into a cupboard before locking him in.
The victims, who are all now adults, were aged between five and 14 when the abuse began.
Ms Buids was jailed for 15 months, while Ms McElhinney was given a 12-month Probation Order and ordered to perform 240 hours of unpaid work.
She was also ordered to remain within her home address between the hours of 4pm and midnight for nine months.
Ms Kane, of Lasswade, Midlothian, was given a Community Service Order with a requirement to complete 150 hours of unpaid work with nine months.
Faith Currie, Procurator Fiscal for Lothian and Borders at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: “Carol Buirds, Eileen McElhinney and Dorothy Kane were entrusted with the care of vulnerable children, but instead they betrayed that trust and inflicted lasting harm through their criminal actions.
“It is now a matter of public record that they gravely breached their duty of care while holding positions of trust and authority at Nazareth House.
“Although these offences took place decades ago, such abuse has never been acceptable and should never have happened.
“The charge of cruel and unnatural treatment reflects the sustained and systematic nature of this abuse over an extended period.
“Scotland’s prosecutors remain fully committed to bringing non-recent child abuse cases before the courts, no matter how much time has passed since these crimes were committed.”
Detective Inspector Lynn McPhail, senior investigating officer from Police Scotland’s National Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: “This was a harrowing and complex investigation, and I hope these convictions bring some form of closure for those who were treated inhumanely.
“I would like to thank the victims for coming forward. It is never easy, even with the passage of time, to talk about these kinds of experiences.
“The acts carried out by these women towards children they were supposed to be taking care of and protecting, were horrendous.
“Their behaviour included kicking, punching and pushing children, hitting them with objects, locking a child in a room without food or water, forcing one to eat soap, and making others take cold showers.
“I would also like to thank all the officers who worked on this investigation and commend them for their dedicated work alongside partners to bring these women to justice.
“I urge anyone who has experienced abuse to come forward, regardless of the passage of time. We have specialist officers you can speak to.
“Anyone with information or concerns about child abuse should call us on 101 or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
By Gabriel McKay Journalist