A foster care couple in Scotland has been sentenced to prison after a court found they abused multiple children placed in their care decades ago.
Douglas Daniel, 80, and Barbara Daniel, 75, were each sentenced to 30 months behind bars on March 9 at Glasgow Sheriff Court after being convicted of several charges related to the abuse of children between 1986 and 1991.
Prosecutors said the couple mistreated at least six children, who were between the ages of 4 and 14 at the time, while they were living in the Daniels’ home in the Parkhead area of Glasgow.
The disturbing details of the abuse were revealed during the trial.
According to authorities, some of the children were forced into animal enclosures as punishment. One child was made to stand among geese that repeatedly pecked at her, while another was pushed into a dirty outdoor birdbath.
Prosecutors also said the children were treated differently from the rest of the household during meals. One child was forced to sit on the floor with the family’s dogs and often went hungry.
In one particularly disturbing claim, a child was reportedly served cow’s tongue that had originally been intended as food for the family’s ferrets.
Authorities said the abuse also included violent physical assaults and strict control over the children’s daily lives.
Some of the children were locked in rooms with alarmed windows so their movements could be monitored. They were also placed under strict bathroom rules that limited them to using only a single square of toilet paper.
In other cases, the children were forced to stand facing a wall for hours at a time, sometimes balancing on one leg until they collapsed from exhaustion.
Prosecutor Fraser Gibson said the couple’s actions represented a serious betrayal of the trust placed in them as foster caregivers.
“These vulnerable young people were placed with them in the belief that they would be protected, supported and given stability,” Gibson said. “Instead, they were met with cruelty, humiliation, violence, and fear.”
He added that authorities remain committed to pursuing justice in cases involving historic abuse, no matter how much time has passed.
“The actions of these foster carers were not only criminal, but also a profound betrayal of trust that should never have occurred,” Gibson said.
Officials say the case highlights the importance of ensuring that victims of abuse are heard and that those responsible are held accountable — even decades later.
Hope the children they abused will find help