When Kathleen Park was at her most vulnerable, she was sent to Fornethy House Residential School for a holiday.
At only six years old, she claims she was physically and sexually abused at the residential school.
Kathleen, 54, from Perth, reveals to the world for the first time as part of a new Courier Investigation, Abused On Holiday, which uncovers the true extent of the 166 claims of mental, physical and sexual abuse at Fornethy House.
“I can’t believe that men thought they could do that to children,” she said.
Revealing abuse for the first time
When she was just three years old, Kathleen was abandoned by her mother and moved to stay with her grandmother.
Placed with social work, she was sent to Fornethy House in 1975.
Fornethy House was a residential school in Angus and was owned and operated by Glasgow City Council.
To Kathleen it was a “big white house in the middle of nowhere”.
When she got inside, where she would then be trapped for six weeks, Kathleen claims it was not a holiday but “pure and utter hell”.
At Fornethy, Kathleen claims she was “punched and slapped”, and beaten nearly every day.
At night she would be pulled from her bed by the hair and dragged into the hallway. She was force-fed along with other girls who went there.
Like many others, Kathleen claims she was sexually abused at Fornethy House.
As part of the investigation, Kathleen describes what she remembers.
She said: “I remember getting taken out the dorm. I remember it as clear as day.
“There were gentlemen with waistcoats, jackets, a pocket watch.”
Kathleen claims she was taken out multiple times to be sexually abused.
“They put me on their lap. So, I could touch them and they could touch me,” she added.
When she left Fornethy, Kathleen said she tried to tell her social worker but was not believed.
Abuse had a life-long impact
For Kathleen and other victims, the abuse they faced has stayed with them long into their adult lives.
Kathleen said: “I’ve been a wreck since. I’m 54 and sleeping with the light on due to the flashbacks.”
She continued to be distant from her mother who abandoned her before Fornethy.
By age 16 Kathleen was living on her own. Then, she would start self-harming and try to take her own life.
She also revealed she now sees a therapist because of Fornethy.
Kathleen still lives in Perth and appeals for anyone who knows more about the facility to come forward.
Kathleen is one of the 166 victims bringing civil cases against Glasgow City Council, who owned and operated Fornethy House Residential School.
She has tried to get access to social work records from Glasgow City Council, that could tell her more about her time at Fornethy and why she was sent there but to no avail.
“Men thought it was alright. Now we’re all older we know that wasn’t right, we wouldn’t allow that to happen to our kids,” she said.
Since meeting other victims online, Kathleen said: “Knowing other women have had the same experiences as me whilst at Fornethy has been good because it’s easier to talk to them about it.”
