A woman has been charged with cruelty in connection with an investigation into alleged child abuse at a council-run residential school.
Hundreds of children attended Fornethy House near Kirriemuir in Angus between 1960 and 1993.
Patricia Baxter appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court in private on May 11 to face multiple allegations of cruel and unnatural treatment, according to court records.
The 75-year-old, whose general address was stated in court records as being Witham, which is in Essex in Southern England, faces 16 charges under common law.
Released on bail
Court officials said they are unable to say how many alleged victims the charges relate to at this stage in the proceedings.
According to court records, Baxter did not enter a plea.
She was released on bail and the case continued for further examination.
It is understood that prosecutors have written to those connected to the case to communicate developments.
One of the letters reads: “As you know, Police Scotland are carrying out an investigation into allegations of abuse at Fornethy House.
‘A relatively long process’
“A decision has now been made to prosecute Patricia Baxter.
“It is important to explain there is still a relatively long process.
“The police and the prosecution service still need to carry out more in-depth investigations.
“Once the further investigations have taken place, a report will be sent to our senior prosecutors to decide if there is enough evidence to serve an indictment.
“An indictment puts the accused on notice that there will be a trial.
“This whole process takes about a year.”
The Crown Office has offered to provide those connected with the case with practical and emotional support, given the sensitive nature of the allegations.
Last October, The Courier published an in-depth investigation into alleged abuse at Fornethy.
Our investigative reporters spoke with scores of people who attended the Fornethy House as children and recounted their experiences in a series of video interviews.
The same month, a group of former attendees protested outside Holyrood as their experiences were put to the then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon during First Minister’s Questions.
In February, the then Deputy First Minister John Swinney ordered a new probe into what happened at the residential school.
More former Fornethy pupils have come forward since our investigation was published, alleging they were abused there.
The school was run by Glasgow Corporation and it was often children from Glasgow and other parts of the Central Belt who would go there.
Those running the home advertised Fornethy House in the local newspaper, aiming to catch the eye of parents.
It marketed the centre as a great place for children to learn about the environment and where they could use the beautiful countryside to develop their art skills.
Activities included outdoor play and walks in the forest.
