The survivor has said their childhood was dominated by terror.
20:40, 15 Jan 2026
Photographed during her interview is Eileen McElhinney, also known as Sister Mary Eileen(Image: COPFS)
A survivor of horrific abuse at a Scottish children’s home has said they are “forever more believed” after being vindicated in an Edinburgh court following decades of being ignored.
The former resident gave evidence against disgraced nun Carol Buirds, known as Sister Carmel Rose, and spoke movingly after the 75-year-old was jailed on Thursday, January 15 for her crimes at Nazareth House.
The survivor has said their childhood was dominated by terror, reports The Daily Record.
“There is only one word to describe my time at Nazareth House – fear,” they said.
“I was sent to that home as a young child where I lived constantly on edge, scared I would be punished no matter what I did.
“No one wanted to listen, no one wanted to hear about the abuse I endured and I have carried that trauma throughout my life alone. Until today.
“It just felt right seeing the handcuffs on the woman who abused me as a child.
“Today I have been heard. Today and forever more I am believed."
Buirds was sentenced at Edinburgh Sheriff Court after a five-week trial that exposed years of brutal abuse inflicted on vulnerable children between 1972 and 1981 at Nazareth House homes in both Lasswade in Midlothian and Kilmarnock, the two of which were run by the Sisters of Nazareth.
She was found guilty of 13 charges, including assault to severe injury, after the court heard how she force-fed children food and soap, rubbed urine-soaked bedding on them and repeatedly beat them with belts, rulers and sticks.
The nun also locked terrified children in cupboards and an unlit cellar without access to water.
Eileen McElhinney, 78, 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.
And former Lasswade staff member Dorothy Kane, 68, 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, now adults, were aged between five and 14 when the abuse began.
Digby Brown Solicitors is supporting multiple survivors of abuse at Nazareth House.
Senior Associate Catherine Hammond said the sentences reflected the gravity of what survivors endured.
She said: “The sentences handed down at Edinburgh Sheriff Court reflect the seriousness of the sustained and cruel treatment inflicted on young residents more than 40 years ago.
“Our client, along with others who were subject to harm in these institutions, has shown immense strength in seeking justice and truth.
“We hope today’s outcome offers some measure of validation and contributes to their wider journey of recovery.”
Buirlds, of Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, was jailed for 15 months. McElhinney was given a 12-month probation order with unpaid work and a curfew, while Kane was handed a community service order.