Woman tells of 'horrific' child abuse at Edinburgh foster home

Shirley Caffell said she suffered years of neglect at a Portobello foster home

A grandmother has told the Scottish child abuse inquiry of her "horrific" suffering as a child at an Edinburgh foster home.

Shirley Caffell, 66, was put into care after her mother abandoned her in a park when she was seven years old.

Ms Caffell, who has waived her right to anonymity, said she suffered years of neglect, beatings and sexual assaults.

City of Edinburgh Council said it apologised "unreservedly" for failures which allowed abuse to take place.

Ms Caffell told the inquiry she went to her grandparents' house after she was abandoned in The Meadows in Edinburgh but the door was slammed in her face.

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She was put into the care system and remained at a Portobello foster home from June 1965 and March 1968.

The inquiry's senior counsel, Ruth Innes QC, heard how Ms Caffell was sexually abused by a man who knew her family.

She reported this to the foster home but they expressed "total disbelief" and told her she was "lying".

Shirley Caffell was abandoned by her mother at The Meadows in Edinburgh

Ms Caffell said she was taken to a shed by a carer in the home, told to lower her underwear and was beaten with a broom handle, which left her "terrified".

She added: "The boys actually never got told to drop their trousers. They would get punched or kicked or punched in the face, but us girls it was always drop your knickers and bend over."

Ms Caffell said she was among children removed from the home in 1968, after a horrific punishment beating of another girl there.

She told the inquiry the girl was in a "horrific state" after she was stripped naked and "a belt was used on her whole body".

Ms Caffell called for an apology from City of Edinburgh Council. Its predecessor Edinburgh Corporation ran the care system.

"They let children down," she said.

Jackie Irvine, chief social work officer, said the city council apologised unreservedly for "any failures and shortcomings which allowed such abuse to take place".

He added: "I am deeply sorry and offer my heartfelt sympathy to survivors who should never have had to suffer whilst in our care.

"The abuse of children, in whatever form, is an abhorrent , unforgivable crime which has a devastating effect on the lives of victims and their families.

"The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry has our full and ongoing support and would encourage anybody aware of or affected by abuse, current or historical, to come forward and speak confidentially to us or the police."

The inquiry continues.