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United Kingdom: Scotland
Tuesday
September 19, 2000
GMT 17:15

CASH CLAIMS OVER HOMES ORDEALS

THE RELIGIOUS ORDER WHICH RAN THE HOMES WHERE SISTER ALPHONSO TERRIFIED
YOUNG CHILDREN now faces 400 compensation claims.

The total being sougth through the civil courts by the nun's victims is
nearly L8m.

The order, the Poor Sisters of Nazreth, was founded in London in the 19th
century although in recent years the word "poor" has been dropped from
the title.

The Sisters of Nazareth are now worth more than L100m in income and
assets.

Cameron Fyfe, the solicitor acting on behalf of those who brought the
complaints, believes the compensation bids have not been motivated by
greed.

He said: "No one ever asked me how much money they were going to get -
all they wanted was to be believed by the church and to receive an
appology."

Eleven test cases are to be heard at the Court of Session and Mr. Fyfe
hopes that if his clients win it will lead to a settlement on all 400
claims.

Former residents of the homes in Aberdeen and Midlothian have spoken
about their ordeals at the hands of Sister Alphonso.

The nun, who now prefers to be known as Sister Marie, has been found
guilty of four of the seven remaining cruelty charges against her at
Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

Agnes fowler, a former resident of Roman Catholic children's home
Nazareth House in Aberdeen, said she had been terrified of Sister
Alphonso, whose real name is Marie Docherty.

Mrs. Fowler, 45, said that that the nun was responsible for driving her
to make two suicide attempts.

Docherty was found guilty on Monday at Aberdeen Sheriff Court of four
charges of cruelty against children at Nazareth House homes over a
15-year period.

Mrs. Fowler, who was born with a hole in the heart and made several
attempts to run away from the home, said she never told anyone about the
alleged aubse because: "Who was going to believe a child over a nun?"

Mrs. Fowler, whose maiden name was Michie, said: "I was locked up most of
the time and it was all because of my epilepsy. The kids were told I was
mad and I took fits therefore I had to be locked up."

"Alphonso used to say: 'Come on, this is Michie looking for attention
again'. The kids were made to make fun of me, they used to mock me
taking a fit."

"It was very depressing because you couldn't tell anybody. You were
terrified to tell anybody in case it got back to her, because if it got
back to her, it would be 10 times worse for you."

Another resident, Grace MacKenzie, was just seven when she arrived at
Nazareth House in 1968. She remembers sister Alphonso beating her and
other children as an everyday occurrence.

She said: "She punched you with her hands. Some kids used to hit off the
walls. It should never have been allowed, it should have been stopped."

"I mean, our social workers came to see us while we were there, but when
you were taken to the parlour you were told what to say to them: 'And
don't mention this or don't mention that'.

"Sister Alphonso was always there with you so you couldn't say nothing
because you knew if you had told them you were for a hiding afterwards."

PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS

The effect of violence on children can have profound consequences in
their adult lives.

Christina del Priore, head of clinical psychology at Glasgow's Yorkhill
Hospital, said that adults can grow to be unable to protect themselves or
their children.

"An adult can develop a violent stance. This isn't a generational
violence and look at this as the correct way to behave.
Or an adult can become vulnerable and unable to protect themselves from
abuse."

"A woman, for example, could be unable to protect her children from abuse
because she feels that that is the way things are. So these are the
damaging effects of abuse in childhood."