The Aberdeen Evening Express backgrounder on cruel nun Sister Alphonso revealed the role the newspaper played in bringing her case to trial.

The nun was found guilty of four charges of cruelty against youngsters in her care at children’s homes. Three other charges were not proven. The nun will be sentenced at a later date.

Members of the jury at Aberdeen Sheriff Court took nearly 10 hours to reach their majority verdicts on accusations which included grabbing young girls by the hair, punching them, force-feeding them and ridiculing them.

The paper reminded readers how a routine police probe exploded when the Evening Express revealed claims of abuse at Nazareth House.

Reporting team Alison Shaw, Angela Robb and Colin MacKenzie told readers: “Our story, in June, 1997, opened the floodgates for dozens of former residents to come forward. But it would be more than three years before victims would have their day in court.”

Disturbing details about children’s homes run by the Poor Sisters of Nazareth came to light in the summer of 1997.

Police were already investigating the claims of abuse at the order’s home in Aberdeen, dating back to the 1970s.

When the Evening Express revealed that police were investigating the conduct of nuns, shocking claims of cruelty at the Claremont Street home flooded in from across the country.

Dozens of men and women who spoke to the press then contacted police, sparking one of the longest and most wide-reaching inquiries ever launched by Grampian officers.

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