Church of Scotland in £1 million payout to abuse survivors

The sister and her two brothers were targeted by paedophile Ian Samson at Lord and Lady Polwarth Children’s House in Edinburgh.

Samson, then aged 72, was jailed for 14 years in 2013 at the High Court in Glasgow after he was convicted of 22 offences involving the sexual abuse and rape of twelve children over a period of many years.

After raising a legal action last year with Digby Brown Solicitors, the woman secured £500k from the Kirk while her two brothers each received £250k, said to be the most compensation recovered from a religious body in Scotland.

The Church of Scotland said it hopes the settlement finally brings a sense of justice to the individuals affected and provides “some small redress for the trauma which they experienced while in our care”.

Some children at the home hid in cupboards and slept in dog baskets to escape abuse.

In a statement the siblings, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: “Samson was evil and robbed us of our childhood and our future.

“Our case has never been about the money – raising a civil action in the courts was the only way we could get any sort of acknowledgement from the Church of Scotland.

“It’s a shame that an organisation which promotes ‘goodness and morals’ can’t do the right thing themselves and hold their hands up and apologise rather than force victims to go endure further legal proceedings.