Home / Crime and Justice / Nuns ordered to pay abuse victims £1,000 each
Nuns ordered to pay abuse victims £1,000 each
25 Mar
Summary
- Two nuns must pay £1,000 each to seven abuse victims.
- Abuse occurred at Nazareth House in Glasgow between 1975 and 1981.
- Nuns sentenced to probation, unpaid work, and victim compensation.
Two former nuns, Marie O'Gorman, 79, and Mary McGuire, 68, have been sentenced for abusing vulnerable children at Nazareth House in Glasgow. The abuse occurred between 1975 and 1981, with the victims being children aged between three and twelve at the time.
O'Gorman, known as Sister Mary Aelred, and McGuire, known as Sister Maria Bernadette, admitted to cruel and unnatural treatment and assault charges. Their offenses included repeatedly striking victims with items like slippers, belts, and a wooden hairbrush.
At Glasgow Sheriff Court, both women received probation orders, supervision for two years, and were ordered to complete 225 hours of unpaid work. Crucially, they were also mandated to pay £1,000 to each of their seven victims. Prosecutors emphasized that despite the decades passed, the abuse was grave and unacceptable.
The Crown Office stated they treat all allegations of non-recent child abuse with seriousness, committing to ensuring survivors are heard and perpetrators held accountable, regardless of the time elapsed since the offenses.
