'Nun beat me with steel spoon'

Sister Alphonso worked at Nazareth House in Aberdeen

A court has been told that an eight-year-old wet herself in fear when she was beaten with a steel serving spoon by a nun.

Magdalene Crocker, who is now 42, broke down in tears as she described the incident to Aberdeen Sheriff Court during the trial of Sister Alphonso.

Mrs Crocker said she arrived at Nazareth House in Aberdeen in 1965 with her six brothers and sisters, when her parents' marriage broke up.

The charges

Marie Docherty faces 23 charges, all of which are denied

The charges date from 1965 to 1980

They include - forcing girls to kiss dead nuns

Punching, slapping and kicking girls

Forcing girls to wear soiled underwear

The trial is expected to last up to six weeks

She said she was a good singer and that when she was aged about eight she was chosen to represent her school and the Brownies at the Aberdeen Music Festival.

This meant she needed two uniforms, but she said when she mentioned this to Sister Alphonso, who was in charge of her group, she was told to go and wait in the toilet.

Her voice breaking with emotion, Mrs Crocker described how the nun arrived with a steel serving spoon in her hand and started lashing her around the head with it.

Mrs Crocker said the nun was saying something about uniforms.

Contacted bishop

She went on: "I was scared and frightened. I was so scared I wet myself."

Mrs Crocker, who is now a social work therapist, then recalled feeling her head was wet. She looked at her hand and found blood.

The court heard she decided to speak to Grampian Police about four years ago after they contacted her younger sister in connection with Nazareth House.

Magdalene Crocker arrives at court

She only contacted her solicitor after that because Aberdeen's Roman Catholic bishop Mario Conti had said the church was offering to help former residents of Nazareth House.

Mrs Crocker asked the bishop for reassurance that he would investigate the past. She said: "He made me very cross because he tried in his comments to minimise what happened."

He said in those days it was hard and "discipline was discipline".

Mrs Crocker said she asked Bishop Conti if the church was an accountable organisation.

Apology sought

She said his words to her were: "We are an autonomous organisation and we're not accountable to anybody."

She agreed she was now suing the church but "didn't want their blood money".

Asked what she did want, she replied: "That Sister Alphonso could say she was sorry, that Nazareth House could say that they were sorry, and admit they didn't get eveyrthing right".

Earlier, she told the court how sister Alphonso took her to a mortuary at the house and made her kiss a dead nun.

She said she remembered the stench in the room.

Asked about Nazareth House Mrs Crocker told the court: "I feel so ashamed. I feel dirty and horrible about my past in that place".

The trial continues.