Two nuns who abused children at a care home more than 40 years ago have been ordered to pay £1,000 to each victim.
Mary O’Gorman, 79, and Mary McGuire, 68, were spared jail time, and instead were sentenced to probation orders at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Wednesday.
A sheriff said they were responsible for “violent, abusive and insulting behaviour”.
Both women had previously admitted multiple charges of cruel and unnatural behaviour, as well as assault.
The convictions concerned eight children living at Nazareth House in Cardonald, glasgowBetween 1975 and 1981.
O’Gorman, who entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Nazareth in 1963, was known as Sister Mary Allred.
The three children he abused were aged between three and 11 years at the time.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said his crimes included repeatedly hitting his victims with objects such as harnesses, slippers and belts.
He forced a child to stand in a cold bath and poured water over his head if he had wet the bed.
O’Gorman then further humiliated the girl by forcing her to wear a loincloth while walking around in front of others.
McGuire, who entered the congregation in 1975, was known as Sister Maria Bernadette.
He admitted to abusing five children aged between five and 12 at the time, including hitting them with objects including slippers, leather belts and wooden hairbrushes.
During one attack, a girl was injured when her belt buckle hit her eye and caused a concussion.
McGuire, from Fife, was placed under supervision for two years and ordered to carry out 225 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months.
O’Gorman, of dublinwas also kept under observation for the same period. Both women were also ordered to pay £1,000 to each of their victims.
Sheriff Lewis Errol Casey said Nazareth House was meant to be “a place of safety, security and comfort”, telling them: “Your conduct ensured it was none of those things.”
The sheriff added: “You both engaged in violent, abusive and insulting behaviour.
“Your conduct included, among other things, repeatedly hitting children with instruments including leather belts, slippers and hairbrushes.
“You both held positions of responsibility and used those positions to abuse the vulnerable children in your care for years.”
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Sheriff Errol said that McGuire was “monstrous” towards children, although he later led a law-abiding life.
O’Gorman displayed remorse and apologized to the victims, he said.
Sheriff Errol said: “The seriousness of the offenses you committed are such that the custody limit has been exceeded in this case.
“However, a sentence of imprisonment can only be imposed if the court considers that no other way of treating you is appropriate.”
Procurator Fiscal Fraser Gibson said: “Mary O’Gorman and Mary McGuire were trusted to care for vulnerable children who had almost no support, and were completely dependent on the adults around them for protection and compassion.
“Instead of offering that care, they caused them deep and lasting harm.
“It is now a matter of public record that, while working at Nazareth House, both individuals seriously abused their authority and trust.
“His abuse may have happened decades ago, but this type of abuse has never been acceptable, and should not have happened.
“The Crown takes all allegations of non-recent child abuse extremely seriously, and no matter how much time has passed, we are committed to ensuring survivors are heard and perpetrators are held accountable.”
