Patricia Robertson, now known as Baxter, abused girls aged five to 12 while volunteering and later working at the residential school in Angus. 

The prosecution led evidence which showed the now 77-year-old had subjected the children to verbal, emotional and physical abuse between 1969 and 1984.

The High Court in Glasgow heard evidence from a number of former residents who were sent to the school for respite care. Robertson’s offending included acts of physical violence, forcing children to eat food and causing them to vomit, as well as humiliating girls that had wet the bed.

Following an extensive investigation and prosecution, Robertson was found guilty of 18 charges of using cruel and unnatural treatment towards children. Yesterday, at the High Court in Glasgow, she was given a probation order comprising of supervision for a period of three years.

She has been ordered to pay £1,000 compensation to each of the complainers, totalling £18,000. Robertson was also ordered to remain within her home address between 3pm and midnight each day for the next 12 months.

Procurator Fiscal Faye Cook, of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: “Patricia Robertson should have nurtured and supported these children but instead inflicted lasting trauma through her criminal actions. 

“Cruel and unnatural treatment is a charge used by prosecutors to capture the dynamics of systematic child abuse over a period of time.

“It is now a matter of public record that she grossly violated her duty of care while holding a position of trust and power at Fornethy House.

“Her offending may have taken place several decades ago, but this type of abuse has never been acceptable and it should not have happened. COPFS is committed to robustly prosecuting non-recent allegations of abuse of children, regardless of how long ago the offences took place.”