Scottish Sunday Mail 30/05/04
A LANDMARK court ruling this week could clear the way for a £55million compensation payout to hundreds of child abuse victims.
Around 1000 claimants are waiting for the Court of Session ruling on 11 test cases.
They will challenge a rule that says compensation claims must be made within three years of abuse taking place.
One of the first test cases will be 41-year-old Adeline Spence who claims she was the victim of physical and mental abuse at Nazareth House home over a period of years.
She said: "There isn't a time bar on murder or fraud. Why should there be one on abusing children?"
Lawyer Cameron Fyfe, who represents hundreds of claimants, said: "In the 1970s, few knew the extent of the problem, or even accepted child abuse was going on."