A “horrible” foster mum who forced one girl to eat vomit and poured soap down her mouth also rubbed a boy’s face in urine-soaked bedding during two decades of shocking child abuse.
Sandra Harper hit kids in her care, also shouting and swearing at them – calling them “little b******s, little pigs, little tinks” and referring to one of them as a “spastic” and a “poof”.
The 63-year-old told Peterhead Sheriff Court that “sometimes it was reprimanding them and sometimes it was in banter”, explaining: “It was like saying God bless you, to me.
“I did say ‘F’ off sometimes when they pestered me,” she admitted, also adding: “I used to say, if you swear, you’ll get your mouth washed out with soap.”
Harper, who grew up in Dunfermline and went on to foster 35 children over 23 years was convicted of eight charges, including four of assault.
A sheriff said she had been “nasty, verbally abusive, cruel, vindictive, violent” towards her victims and “denied” them a childhood full of love and care and fun.
Couple were cleared of some charges
Sandra’s husband Andrew Harper, 63, was also found guilty by a jury of nine women and six men of three assault charges.
But the jury also decided an alleged assault of one girl was not proven, along with another charge alleging he’d burned another girl by holding a lit cigarette against her body, to her injury and permanent disfigurement.
During the trial, the Crown also dropped two charges against Mr Harper – meaning he was acquitted of being disorderly, repeatedly shouting and swearing at a boy, repeatedly uttering offensive remarks and threats towards him, throwing a plate at a wall and committing a breach of the peace, all between October 6 1985 and October 5 1999.
He was also cleared of conducting himself in a disorderly manner, repeatedly refusing to let a girl go to the bathroom – causing her to urinate on herself – and repeatedly shouting, swearing and uttering offensive remarks at her, throwing items of clothing at her, watching her while she was in the shower and committing a breach of the peace, all between December 22 2003 and December 28 2009.
Sandra Harper was acquitted of one charge, also after it was dropped, clearing her of being threatening or abusive towards one victim and his partner by repeatedly shouting, swearing and pointing at them on August 23 2019 at the Tesco on South Harbour Road, Fraserburgh.
Co-accused husband said claims against them were ‘totally exaggerated’
The couple both took the witness stand to give evidence in their own defence.
Under questioning from his advocate Jordanna Blockley, Mr Harper said: “I’ve never ever hit any kid … I’ve never ever smacked one of the kids”.
But then he admitted to giving them a “skelp” if they were cheeky.
He told his wife’s advocate Ximena Vengoechea, in response to her questioning on the victims’ allegations: “I believe they’re lying. It’s totally exaggerated.”
Harper claimed that she couldn’t have been physical with the children because she had osteoporosis, a health condition that weakens bones – making them fragile and more likely to break.
Fiscal depute Ruairidh McAllister, who prosecuted the pair, asked the foster parent: “Your position would be that it’s all made up?”
She replied: “Yeah”.
Harper went on: “Those things didn’t happen. I never did that to kids”.
Mr McAllister put it to Harper that the children in her care were “terrified” of physical violence.
“That’s not true. I never hit the bairns,” she responded.
Her defence advocate, Ms Vengoechea asked: “Why would they say it?”
She answered: “I think it’s for money because we never heard anything until 2018 and the older ones had plenty of opportunity to speak up before then”.
The court heard harrowing evidence concerning a total of five different victims who’d suffered at the hands of the Harpers inside their home on Westhaven Crescent, Cairnbulg.
At times they were distressed and tearful on the stand and some of them, who were watching proceedings from the public gallery, had to leave the courtroom as they broke down hearing details of their ordeals.
Among her worst crimes, Sandra Harper repeatedly struck some of them on the head.
It caused one boy, who’d wet his bed and had his face rubbed in the soaked linen, to fall and strike his head on a wardrobe, the jury was told.
Another boy, who was learning disabled and didn’t have a girlfriend in his teenage years, was called a “spastic” and a “poof” by Sandra Harper.
She repeatedly seized him by the body, pushed, pulled, and dragged him out of a car.
A girl was repeatedly forced to eat food that she had spat out and vomited.
The same girl was repeatedly grabbed by her hair and dragged, struck on the head and even had liquid soap poured into her mouth.
And another girl, who had clothing thrown at her and was repeatedly shouted and sworn at, urinated herself because Mrs Harper refused to let her go to the toilet.
‘You were nasty, verbally abusive, cruel, vindictive, violent’
Sentencing Mrs Harper, Sheriff Ian Wallace acknowledged that she had “suffered some mental and physical issues” over the period in question.
He told her: “As a foster carer, you were entrusted to look after and love the children.
“You were their second opportunity in life. There was an opportunity for a childhood full of love and care and fun. You, clearly, denied them that childhood.
“You were nasty, verbally abusive, cruel, vindictive, violent.”
She shook her head in the dock, interrupting the sheriff, as she replied: “No”.
Sheriff Wallace went on to say that the children had grown up in a home feeling nothing but fear.
“Your actions had a lasting impact,” he added, and praised the strength of the victims, who are now adults.
“They gave powerful evidence. The jury resoundingly accepted their evidence. Resoundingly accepted their harrowing accounts.
“And actually, it’s no surprise to anyone who listened to that evidence.
“It is to be hoped that the victims will take some comfort in knowing that they have been vindicated, that the jury accepts that they told the truth, that you told lies, that you were convicted and that the truth is now out.
“The strength shown by your victims was remarkable to watch. It’s a credit to them, they have, despite your mistreatment, grown into adults who have dedicated themselves to help others.
“The harm that your actions caused is clear. The more serious impact of your conduct was your name calling, your constant belittling of these children over years.
“The reality is, however, that given the nature of this offending in particular, any sentence which I can impose in the community can do little to give back to your victims what you have taken from them.”
Abusive pair avoid jail sentences
The sheriff handed Sandra Harper 300 hours of unpaid work that she must carry out within the next two years, during which she will remain under supervision.
A restriction of liberty order was also imposed on her, meaning she will be tagged to make sure that she doesn’t leave her home over the next 12 months between 4pm and 4am each day.
The sentence, including house arrest, will last longer than any available prison sentence.
Andrew Harper, whose offending the sheriff described as “less serious”, was given 180 hours of unpaid work to be completed within 18 months alongside supervision for the same period of time.
Both sentences were an alternative to jail terms.
Victim speaks out and says Sandra ‘deserves to be in prison’
Speaking after the court case, one of the Harpers’ victims – now a 41-year-old father-of-two – said he could never forgive the “horrible” pair.
He told The Press and Journal: “Sandra’s behaviour was shameful. It was vindictive. It was evil. She took joy in treating kids badly.
“No sentence would be able to make up for what she’s done but there is no doubt that she deserves to be in prison. She doesn’t deserve to be free.
“She would ridicule us. She would shame us in front of everybody. We were foster kids who’d been through a difficult time in our earliest years.
“We needed compassion, not humiliation. It was cruel. She took pleasure in telling people some of the things that she would do and say to us kids.
“It’s now her turn to feel humiliated. She’s been found out. She’s been caught. The jury has seen through her pack of lies.
“For many years they were able to fool social workers by pulling the wool over their eyes.
The victim, who wanted to remain anonymous, told The P&J that he wrote to Aberdeenshire Council in 2009 to report his experiences in the Harpers’ care.
In 2010, Police Scotland approached him as they investigated an unrelated matter but took no action in response to his claims about the abuse that he had suffered.
Then in 2017, the victim gave evidence to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, which sparked a criminal investigation by police who approached him for a statement in 2018.
The case finally came to court five years later.
The victim described Sandra’s husband Andrew as an “arrogant man who will never take responsibility”.
He added: “He knew what Sandra was doing. He allowed her to abuse us day in and day out. He shoulders massive responsibility for what went on in that house.
“Andrew failed perfectly innocent kids. He could have stopped all of this.”
An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman said: “Aberdeenshire Council will undertake a multi-agency review of the circumstances leading to this case to ensure learning is embedded in practice and improves outcomes for care experienced young people.
“We do, however, continually review our practice policy and procedures to ensure children and young people cared for by the local authority are looked after by carers who meet stringent vetting and assessment processes.”
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