STV NewsIt’s been four years since the women campaigning for justice over the Fornethy House abuse scandal first came onto my radar.
As a journalist, I hear from hundreds of campaigners and groups each year. Each believes they have the most important story to tell.
These range from petitions to stop building projects on the green belt to calls for justice for abuse survivors and everything in between.
Fornethy always felt different.
One look at the faces of the women describing the horrors they endured told you these could not have been some grim fantasy.
The difficulty lay in the gap between belief and proof.
No significant records from Fornethy exist. There are occasional mentions in the Glasgow City Council archives and a handful of surviving photos, but nothing that reveals what actually went on behind closed doors.
All we had was the testimony of these women, who were sent away by well-meaning families for a chance to rest, learn, and take a break from inner-city Glasgow.
Often, but not exclusively, the girls came from hard-working but struggling families. As one told me, all they wanted was to have fun, feel loved, and enjoy their time away.
Instead, many faced a devastating and horrific ordeal.
Many thought their day in court would never come. Many more died before getting the chance to confront those who tainted their childhoods.
As the announcement rang through the High Court in Glasgow that a verdict had been reached on Wednesday, the women took each other’s hands and prayed.
In the courtroom, as guilty verdicts were returned, they clasped hands again. Tears of joy, relief, and pain flowed.
What happens next for the rest of the Fornethy women remains to be seen.
Civil claims may be the next step toward justice.
For some, an apology would also go a long way.
Police acknowledge that many more women were likely abused – both physically and sexually – at Fornethy, but confirm the staff members they had been pursuing have since died.
As a result, Patricia Robertson, now known as Baxter – who was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday – may be the only abuser these victims see brought to justice.
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