‘No crime committed’ at orphanage

Prosecutors have said there is no evidence that a crime has been committed at an orphanage where the bodies of hundreds of children were reportedly buried in a mass grave.

An investigation found that at least 400 children from Smyllum Park Orphanage in Lanark are thought to be bur- ied in an unmarked grave at the town’s St Mary’s Cemetery.

The orphanage, run by the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, was home to more than 10,000 children between opening in 1864 and closing in 1981.

Research of death records foundthatmostofthechildren diedofnaturalcausesbetween 1870 and 1930 from common diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia and pleurisy.

The Crown Office and Police Scotland said they “recognise the level of public concern” following the reports but that there is currently no evidence of criminal activity.

Smyllum Park Orphanage is one of the institutions being examined by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry with allegations surrounding the mass grave expected to be studied.