Spindrift
Patricia Robertson taught at Fornethy House in Angus
A retired teacher convicted of the historical abuse of 18 girls at a former residential school has been given a community sentence.
Patricia Robertson, 77, assaulted and humiliated youngsters at Fornethy House in Angus between 1969 and 1984.
Robertson denied the accusations but was convicted of 18 charges of cruel and unnatural treatment of the youngsters at the High Court in Glasgow.
Robertson was sentenced to three years’ supervision and ordered to pay each victim £1,000 compensation.
She will also be subject to a curfew, keeping her at home between 15:00 and midnight for the next year.
Carol Robertson, one of the victims, described the sentence as “absolutely shocking”
A large group of women and their families affected by the abuse at Fornethy were in attendance for the sentencing.
Victim Carol Robertson said the sentence was “absolutely shocking”.
She said: “It was brutality from the minute we got there.
“Because of her age, she can’t be jailed? What about our age? We were five up to 12.
“We’ve carried this for 50 years, we had to be here today. We thought the judge was on our side.”
She dismissed Patricia Robertson’s claim the victims had lied for financial gain.
She said: “We didn’t come here for money. We came here for justice, and it didn’t happen today. Don’t be fooled by the wee frail lady. Because when she took the stand she stood six foot tall and was as brash as anything.”
Another victim, known as Angela, said: “I was imprisoned – not allowed to see my parents or siblings or even talk about my family.
“There was no nurture – they didn’t think about our feelings or emotions. I cried every day, yet if they saw you crying they punished you. It makes me emotional to this day even although it was fifty years ago.”
Judge Lord Colbeck told Robertson she had behaved in a ‘cruel and sadistic manner’
Judge Lord Colbeck told Robertson it was “frankly absurd” that she had claimed in a pre-sentencing report the women had lied for financial gain.
He said many of the victims were particularly vulnerable due to poverty and family circumstances.
Lord Colbeck said: “The majority had never had a proper holiday before. They all thought their stay at Fornethy would be an adventure.
“They spoke of their excitement of going – such thoughts appeared to have ended when the doors closed and the horror began.
“It is clear you behaved in a cruel and sadistic manner. The examples are too numerous to mention.”
The judge praised the victims for their “brave and dignified manner” in court.
He said: “It is not an exaggeration to suggest that the behaviour contributed to what, in effect, was a life sentence for many or all of your victims.”
Lord Colbeck said the offences had passed the “custody threshold”.
But, he added that a prison sentence can only be imposed on someone who had never been in jail before if it was deemed there was no appropriate alternative.
Historic Environment Scotland
The former school has lain derelict since the 1990s
The court heard Robertson’s victims had been sent to the residential school for “short-term respite” from their homes.
Robertson, now of Essex, admitted she used a “strong voice” when sometimes dealing with the girls, but denied being violent and bullying them.
The trial heard that the teacher force-fed, assaulted and humiliated the girls.
Fornethy was run by two former local authorities, Glasgow Corporation and Strathclyde Regional Council.
It closed in 1993 and the building has been empty ever since.
It was said to offer “convalescent care” for girls aged between five and 12 for up to eight weeks at a time.
A number of former residents gave evidence about the regime there at the trial.
One of the victims recalled being force-fed semolina, which she had been struggling to swallow.
The woman said she was then made to stand in a corner of the room facing away from others.
She said this sort of incident would “happen to everyone”.
The victim also said she was assaulted during a later stay at Fornethy while helping to scrub floors.
She was pulled back and forward “like a rag doll” before ending up on the floor on her knees.
‘Scary, cold, unloved’
Another survivor described the atmosphere at Fornethy as “scary, cold, unloved”.
She added: “You would be able to write letters (for family), but only what they dictated and you had to copy that.”
The woman said she was scared to report any incidents at the time.
Robertson also targeted one youngster who was slapped, punched and had a blackboard duster hurled at her.
Another child was put over Robertson’s knee and slapped on her bare buttocks.
‘Lasting trauma’
Following the sentencing, procurator fiscal Faye Cook said that Robertson should have nurtured and supported the children, but instead “inflicted lasting trauma through her criminal actions”.
Ms Cook said: “Cruel and unnatural treatment is a charge used by prosecutors to capture the dynamics of systematic child abuse over a period of time.
“It is now a matter of public record that she grossly violated her duty of care while holding a position of trust and power at Fornethy House.
“Her offending may have taken place several decades ago, but this type of abuse has never been acceptable and it should not have happened.”
‘Lifelong harm’
Laura Connor from Thompsons Solicitors, which represents 220 survivors from Fornethy House, said: “While the sentence falls short of what we believe is appropriate given the scale of abuse inflicted, we must remember that this perpetrator has been found guilty of abusing children – a significant legal outcome that remains unchanged.
“The extent of the abuse and the lifelong harm caused will never be erased and today’s decision should be considered along with the judge’s speech which made clear the scale of her deprivation and lack of remorse.”