Two former nuns and a retired support worker have been sentenced for subjecting vulnerable children to decades of "harrowing" abuse at Catholic-run children's homes in Scotland during the 1970s.
The women, now aged between 68 and 78, were found guilty of multiple charges following a five-week trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last year. The offences occurred at Nazareth House homes in Lasswade, Midlothian, and Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, between 1972 and 1981.
Details of the Abuse and Sentences
Carol Buirds, 75, formerly known as Sister Carmel Rose, received the most severe punishment. She was convicted of 13 charges, including eight counts of cruel and unnatural treatment, assault to severe injury, and multiple assaults.
Sheriff Iain Nicol, in his sentencing statement, described how Buirds rubbed urine-soaked bedding on children, forced food and soap into their mouths, and locked one child in a cupboard and another in an unlit cellar without water. She also repeatedly assaulted children with implements including a belt, a wooden ruler, and a stick.
Buirds, of Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, was jailed for 15 months. Sheriff Nicol noted she has shown "no remorse whatsoever" and continues to deny any wrongdoing.
Eileen McElhinney, 78, known as Sister Mary Eileen, was convicted of five charges. The court heard she violently assaulted children, forced them to stand in cold showers and sit in cold baths, and used a hairbrush and metal comb to inflict pain.
Sheriff Nicol acknowledged McElhinney's offending occurred "at the beginning of your vocation" when she was young and potentially susceptible to influence. Noting her subsequent work as a social worker and volunteer, he handed her a 12-month Probation Order with 240 hours of unpaid work. She must also adhere to a nine-month curfew.
Dorothy Kane, 68, was convicted of two counts of cruel and unnatural treatment for repeatedly grabbing a boy by the hair, restraining him with her knees on his chest, and locking another child in a cupboard. She received a Community Service Order with 150 hours of unpaid work.
Lasting Impact on Victims
The victims, aged between five and 14 when the abuse began, are now adults. Their impact statements were described by Sheriff Nicol as making for "harrowing reading".
He paid tribute to their "bravery and fortitude" in giving evidence, revealing that some continue to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health conditions directly caused by the abuse.
"Medication and other forms of treatment have been and still are required," Sheriff Nicol stated. "Some speak to being suicidal, requiring one of the complainers to be in hospital for a year and left her mute for a period of five years."
Official Condemnation
Faith Currie, procurator fiscal for Lothian and Borders at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), strongly condemned the women's actions.
"Such abuse has never been acceptable and should never have happened," she said. "Carol Buirds, Eileen McElhinney and Dorothy Kane were entrusted with the care of vulnerable children, but instead they betrayed that trust and inflicted lasting harm through their criminal actions."
The trio were found guilty in November 2025 and sentenced on Thursday 15 January 2026.
