Overview
- Edinburgh Sheriff Court sentenced Carol Buirds to 15 months in prison, ordered Eileen McElhinney to a 12‑month probation with 240 hours of unpaid work and a curfew, and required Dorothy Kane to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
- The offences took place in the 1970s and early 1980s at children’s homes in Lasswade and Kilmarnock run by the Sisters of Nazareth, affecting residents who were aged five to 14 when the abuse began.
- Prosecutors described forced feeding and soap in mouths, urine‑soaked bedding rubbed on children, confinement in cupboards or a dark cellar, and repeated assaults with implements including a belt, ruler and stick.
- A five‑week trial heard testimony from former residents, an ex‑staff member and a social worker, leading to guilty verdicts in November on charges including cruel and unnatural treatment and assault.
- The Crown Office released video of police interviews with McElhinney and Kane in which both denied abuse, and procurator fiscal Faith Currie condemned the breaches of trust and reiterated the commitment to bringing such cases to court; the Sisters of Nazareth has been asked for comment.