Abuse survivor of foster parent William Morrice is first to settle claim against Aberdeen City Council

An abuse victim has settled a legal action against council bosses after suffering at the hands of her foster parent when she was a child.

The brave woman – who cannot be named for legal reasons – was beaten and sexually assaulted by Aberdeen foster parent William Morrice.

She stayed with Morrice for a number of years in the 1980s where she was subjected to frequent assaults.

Morrice was finally taken to court for his crimes last year – although he was deemed medically unfit to stand trial a sheriff ruled the abuse happened after hearing compelling evidence from five survivors.

Now one of those victims has settled a five-figure historic abuse claim against Aberdeen City Council after arguing the local authority failed to act on previous warnings that would have protected her from the abuse.

She said: “After all these years it’s strange – but a welcome relief – to finally be heard and believed.

“While I’m glad to have the civil recognition I have found the actual process of justice, especially the criminal side, to fail victims.

“Morrice has never had to sit in a dock and he’s faced no real punishment.

“However we were forced to reopen old wounds, be subjected to horrendous accusations and cross examinations and were then left alone to again wade through the pieces of a painful past.

“The priority for the civil action for me was to send a message to those in power that they cannot hide from their responsibilities.

“But the civil process was an eye-opener as it showed me that liable organisations do everything they can to restrict and diminish the idea of fairness.

“I am fortunate that I managed to forge a reasonably happy life despite what happened to me but I was shocked that this fact was used to penalise me. 

“Any system that penalises victims needs to be reviewed otherwise how can it truly be justice?

“I therefore hope, in the meantime, that the end of my case acts as a catalyst to help others and keep the spotlight firmly on the Council to ensure they continue to do the right thing.”

William Morrice was ruled to have beaten and molested five children aged four to 15 during the 1970s and 80s.

The decision was reached following an examination of facts hearing in July 2024 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

Morrice was first charged in 2022 but proceedings were delayed due to him suffering an injured foot however by the time the case recalled he was deemed medically unfit to stand trial.

A civil claim was raised against Aberdeen City Council as the historic successor of Grampian Regional Council on the basis it failed to act on the warnings of a whistle blower in 1983.

Court papers alleged a social worker raised concerns after a different child made a complaint about their treatment yet council bosses failed to act on it.

Richard Pitts, Partner at Digby Brown, is leading a number of civil actions against Aberdeen City Council on behalf of Morrice’s victims. 

He said: “I commend the bravery of each person who has spoken out against Morrice – to stand up in court and do what they did during the prosecution takes real courage, the kind of courage that I hope inspires others to step forwards.

“As civil law solicitors we help as best we can within the framework we’re able to operate so I can only hope our client has found a degree of comfort from the swift end to her case - our aim is to ensure other survivors each secure their own rightful outcomes.”

Successful outcome reported in Daily Record.