SNS GroupA young boy ate paint scaped from a ceiling after he was forced to go to bed hungry.
The victim suffered at the hands of Yvonne Keenan, 56, at her home in Glasgow’s Maryhill.
The boy – aged between five and eight – was also made to eat cat food while in the care of Keenan.
Three other children were severely punished by Keenan, which included being made to face a wall for long periods of time.
Keenan’s victims – who are now all adults – have received justice after she pled guilty to cruel and unnatural treatment of children.
The four charges at Glasgow Sheriff Court span between 1994 and March 2001.
The court heard that the boy and a girl, now aged 32, were frequently not fed by Keenan and sent to bed hungry.
Prosecutor Sean Docherty said: “The girl remembers the boy crying because he was so hungry and she did not know what to do.
“She 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, Keenan forced the boy to eat cat food which was lying in the kitchen.”
The girl also recalled being made to stand in the dark kitchen overnight and was “too scared to move.”
Keenan was violent towards her which included being dragged off a bed which caused her head to strike a radiator.
She further 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 38, stated Keenan was violent towards her, which included shaking and throwing her around.
She was also slapped on the face when Keenan overheard a telephone call which referenced alcohol.
A boy, now aged 36, claimed “disciplinarian” Keenan would poke him on the body if he did not return home from school on a set time.
He was also made to stand and stare at a wall for hours as well as be without dinner.
Linzi McQuade, defending, told the court that her client is a first-time offender.
Sentence was deferred pending background reports until next month by Sheriff Michael Hanlon.
He said: “Your motion for bail will be allowed but be in no doubt of the seriousness of the offences you pled guilty to.
“I will be looking at all options.”
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