A foster mother Maryhill child abuser, Yvonne Keenan, has been sentenced to 32 months in prison for compelling a small kid to consume paint from a ceiling after sending him to bed without food.
The youngster, aged five to eight, was compelled to consume cat food while under the supervision of Yvonne Keenan at her residence in Maryhill, Glasgow.
Three additional youngsters, now adults, were subjected to severe punishment by Yvonne Keenan, 56, which included prolonged periods of being made to face a wall.
Yvonne Keenan admitted to the cruel and unnatural treatment of minors before Glasgow Sheriff Court.
The four charges occurred between 1994 and March 2001.
The court was informed that the child and girl, now 32 years old, were often deprived of food by Yvonne Keenan and forced to bed in a state of hunger.
Prosecutor Sean Docherty said: “The girl remembers the boy crying because he was so hungry and she did not know what to do.
“Yvonne Keenan decided to scrape paint off the ceiling from the top bunk and fed it to him.
“She described this as an act of desperation to help him as she did not know what else to do.”
On another occasion, the girl recalled the boy pushing a button in the kitchen which was not allowed.
Mr Docherty added: “As a consequence, Yvonne Keenan forced the boy to eat cat food which was lying in the kitchen.”
The girl also told of being made to stand in the dark kitchen overnight and was “too scared to move”.
Yvonne Keenan was violent towards her, in attacks which included dragging her off a bed and causing her head to strike a radiator.
The victim also remembered being “physically force-fed” cereal and milk.
Mr Docherty said: “To this day, she cannot consume milk due to this experience.”
Another girl – now aged 38 – stated Yvonne Keenan was violent towards her, which included shaking and throwing her around.
She was also slapped on the face when Yvonne Keenan overheard a telephone call which referenced alcohol.
A boy – now aged 36 – claimed “disciplinarian” Yvonne Keenan would poke him on the body if he did not return home from school in a set time.
He was also made to stand and stare at a wall for hours as well as be without dinner.
Sheriff Michael Hanlon told Yvonne Keenan it was “hard to imagine how scared, confused and alone” the children must have felt.
He said: “The offences took place over a number of years and involved vulnerable children at a time when they most needed care, protection, nurturing and love.
“You provided none of these. Instead, in a mixture of cowardice and cruelty you inflicted hunger, fear, humiliation and pain, both physical and emotional, upon them.”
The sheriff said the victims were still dealing with the emotional and psychological impact of their ordeals.
He also commended their bravery and the support they gave each other, both at the time and during the police investigation.
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