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Retired teacher spared jail for 'sadistic' abuse of young girls at Angus school
Patricia Robertson, convicted of abusing 18 girls aged 5 to 12 at Fornethy House, received a community sentence despite judge affirming offences met custody threshold.
- On December 3, 2025, the High Court in Glasgow imposed a three-year supervision order and a home restriction on Patricia Robertson after her conviction of 18 charges of abuse, and ordered her to pay £18,000 to victims within two months.
- The offences, spanning 1969–1984, involved Patricia Robertson abusing victims aged five to 12 at Fornethy House, Kilry, Angus, where she grossly violated her position of trust.
- Survivors told the court that force-feeding caused gagging and vomiting, with one witness recalling being pulled "like a rag doll" and saying `I just wanted my mum`.
- Many victims reacted in court, branding the probation sentence 'disgusting' and 'too light', while Judge Lord Colbeck described the offences as meeting the custodial threshold with 'exceptionally high culpability'; Thompsons Solicitors and Digby Brown are pursuing civil claims.
- Fornethy, run historically by Glasgow Corporation and Strathclyde Regional Council, provided care for girls, while survivors said the verdict proves they 'have been heard and believed' despite lacking closure.
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Glasgow Live+7 Reposted by 7 other sources
Retired Fornethy teacher dodges jail for 'sadistic' abuse of young schoolgirls
Patricia Robertson's offences included delivering punishments for wetting the bed, force-feeding, banging girls' heads together and dragging children by their hair.
·Glasgow, United Kingdom
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Total News Sources16
Leaning Left3Leaning Right0Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution79% Center
Bias Distribution
- 79% of the sources are Center
79% Center
L 21%
C 79%
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