Fornethy child abuser Patricia Robertson denies crimes at Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry in Edinburgh

A teacher from the Fornethy residential school in Angus who was convicted of a catalogue of abuse against young girls from Glasgow has repeated her denials of doing anything wrong.

Patricia Robertson, now known as Baxter, faced a total of 25 charges, which took place at Fornethy House between 1967 and 1983.

The 77-year-old was found guilty of 18 charges involving the cruel and unnatural treatment of children in her care, including force-feeding them until they gagged, striking them with a ruler and dragging them by their hair.

She was spared jail and instead handed a supervision order and ordered to pay compensation to victims – something the Crown Office said was “unduly lenient”.

Baxter gave evidence at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry in Edinburgh, where there were gasps and outraged comments in the public gallery as she insisted that the victims had invented their claims.

A group of women who suffered abuse at Fornethy House were present at Lady Smith’s inquiry, with some gathering outside the premises to confront Baxter as she left the inquiry in a taxi.

Patricia Baxter left the inquiry and hid her face in the back of a taxi. STV News

Speaking to STV News, one of Fornethy’s survivors Kellie Fox said: “We know she’s guilty, and she has no remorse at all, absolutely zero.

“And I think given the same set of circumstances she’d do exactly the same thing again because she thinks she’s done nothing wrong.”

Kellie Fox was one of those waiting for Baxter as she left the inquiry. STV News

Tracy Thomson, who was a Fornethy resident on several occasions between 1974 and 1979, said listening to Robertson at the inquiry made her feel like “that wee child again”.

She said: “I actually had a few tears in there as well because of the questions she was getting answered she was clearly lying. She was lying again.”

Violet Duffy who was also at the inquiry said Robertson’s responses were predictable.

“She said she didn’t do it but she’s been found guilty by a jury,” she said, “I guessed that that’s what she was going to do.

“She’s not going to stand there and say that she abused all of us for 30 years – and she said the same at the trial. I never abused anybody.”

Baxter had just spent more than an hour giving evidence to Lady Smith’s inquiry, where she claimed the victims had invented their claims of abuse for financial gain.

Tracy Thomson said she felt like she was back at Fornethy. STV News

The inquiry’s senior counsel, Colin MacAulay KC, asked her about an incident where five girls were physically punished at Fornethy House for collecting frogs.

There were outraged comments from the women watching the proceedings as Baxter claimed this event did not take place.

Lady Smith put it to the 77-year-old that the evidence of abuse did not only come from the children, but from a student teacher who was also at Fornethy.

Baxter replied: “I feel my memory is correct.”

She said she stood by her evidence that Fornethy House had a “warm, friendly and happy” culture, prompting scoffs of derision from the women watching.