Legal action over ‘torture’ at Catholic-run orphanage

● Woman claims she was beaten at Sisters of Nazareth home in Aberdeen

A woman who claims she was forced by nuns to eat her own vomit and suffered beatings and emotional abuse has launched a £750,000 legal action against the Sisters of Nazareth Catholic order.

Annemarie Mcguigan said she was locked in a cupboard for up to 12 hours at a time at an orphanage run by the charity, and was “tortured” and “ridiculed” by nuns.

The 59-year-old stayed at Nazareth House in Aberdeen between 1969 and 1974, an experience she said left her battling suicide attempts and depression.

The order, which no longer runs any residential services for children in the UK, apologised last year for any abuse that took place in its homes.

Lady Smith, chair of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, said its homes were “places of fear, hostility and confusion,” where children were “physically abused and emotionally degraded with impunity.” Now, Ms Mcguigan has waived her right to anonymity in an attempt to try and help other victims of the controversial charity. She said: “We cannot let the Sisters of Nazareth simply say sorry to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry and walk away.

“They have to help victims repair their lives and they have to be seen to do it – otherwise none of us can ever truly get justice.”

Ms Mcguigan said that at one point, she was force fed stovies at each meal time over three days, and eventually forced to eat her own vomit.

“They knew I hated that food and couldn’t eat it – it’s like they enjoyed my suffering,” she said.

“At the end of the third day when I still couldn’t eat the stovies, my arms and legs were pinned down by two members of staff and Sister Hildegard shovelled forkfuls of it into my mouth.

“It made me sick and everything that came up landed on the plate because of the way I was held.

“Sister Hildegard then shoved more forkfuls in and it only stopped after I ate everything, even the vomit.”

Kim Leslie, specialist abuse lawyer at Digby Brown Solicitors, is now leading a personal injury legal action for survivors of Sisters of Nazareth House.

She said: “I cannot praise Annemarie enough for taking the selfless decision to share her story and inspire others.”