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  Priest Had Sex with Angelika

By Gordon Mcilwraith
Daily Record [Scotland]
March 30, 2007

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_headline=priest-had-sex-with-angelika&method=full&objectid=18831260&siteid=66633-name_page.html

A priest claimed to have had sex with a Polish student whose body was later found under the floor of his church, a court heard yesterday.

Father Gerry Nugent told a Sunday newspaper he had a relationship with Angelika Kluk, 23, jurors heard.

But her sister, Aneta Kluk, branded the suggestion "outrageous and untrue" when she gave evidence at the High Court in Edinburgh.

The court heard earlier that Father Nugent, 66, the priest at Glasgow's St Patrick's Church, turned "cold" towards Angelika after learning she was having an affair with an older, married man.

Her sister told the court Father Nugent was an alcoholic with a "Jekyll and Hyde" personality when he drank.

Aneta was giving evidence at the trial of Peter Tobin, 60, who denies raping and murdering Angelika.

Tobin is accused of killing her last year and hiding her body under the church in the city's Anderston area.

Later, in a day of sensational evidence, Angelika's married lover Martin MacAskill, 40, wept as he insisted to the jury that he still loved Angelika - as well as his wife.

Aneta said her sister was a bright girl who first came to Scotland in 2004.

She returned in 2005 and stayed in a room at St Patrick's.

Aneta, who works in Glasgow as a secretary, said her sister found Father Nugent's approach to religion very inspiring. She, too, attended St Patrick's but that stopped when she learned about the priest's drinking.

Aneta told advocate depute Dorothy Bain, prosecuting: "He is an alcoholic and I had a problem with that. We had problems with alcohol at home and I didn't want to get involved with someone in that situation.

"At first, I was trying to help but later I decided to step down."

Aneta told the court that in 2006, she learned that Angelika was seeing Martin MacAskill and that she disapproved of their relationship.

Aneta said: "He was a married man. That was my first reason and secondly she was worth much more than that.

"I never directly told her to stop seeing him or leave him because I would never do that.

"I was just trying to make my point from a different perspective."

She and her sister spent a few days in Oslo but during that time, Angelika seemed "occupied" and sent regular text messages to MacAskill.

Angelika had already bought a ticket to return to Poland on October 2 last year and the girls had planned to have time together in Scotland before she left.

On September 25, Aneta was in her flat when MacAskill arrived and asked if she had seen her sister.

After MacAskill left, she repeatedly phoned Angelika's mobile but got no answer.

She called Father Nugent to ask him to check Angelika's room. She said: "He refused and said he couldn't go into her room, as it was private."

Aneta went straight to the church and found MacAskill was also there.

Both went to Angelika's room. Aneta said that her sister never went out without her hat on.

Aneta said: "I checked her clothes and her hat was in the closet. I knew something was wrong."

Asked how she felt about being in the room, Aneta replied: "I was nervous."

Later, she told the court that at the St Patrick's Church house, she was introduced to a man who said he was "Pat MacLaughlin". She identified that man in court as Tobin, the accused.

She told how he claimed to have last seen Angelika in the garden, where she had been helping him paint a shed. Aneta said: "I asked him what she had been wearing but he didn't indicate clearly what she had been wearing.

"I asked him if he saw her leaving by the gate and he said he couldn't remember."

Tobin couldn't answer a lot of her questions and was pacing around the house, she said.

Police were called and when they arrived, Aneta said Tobin volunteered information to them and was "smiling and being very helpful".

The following day, Aneta retraced her sister's footsteps from the church to an office where she had a job cleaning.

She showed a photo of her sister to passers-by and made up a poster and hung it on buildings near the church.

Later that week, she learned that police had found a body in the church and they brought Angelika's earrings and a finger ring to identify.

During her evidence, she spoke in a quiet voice. But when Donald Findlay, QC, stood up to begin cross-examination, her tone changed and she demanded: "Who are you? Could you please introduce yourself."

Tobin's counsel responded: "My name is Findlay and I am a member of Her Majesty's counsel in Scotland and, as such, I am entitled to ask you questions."

She confirmed to him that Angelika had been keen on golf and was receiving lessons but didn't know who from. He then asked: "Did Father Nugent ever lift a finger to help find Angelika?" She replied: "Not that I know of."

He also hadn't tried to comfort Aneta while she was searching the church.

She agreed that after the priest had learned about her sister's affair with married MacAskill, he became "cold" towards Angelika.

Mr Findlay then asked when she had learned that Father Nugent had claimed to have had sex with Angelika. She said from a newspaper report.

He then showed her a copy of the paper with the headline "Churchman admits sex with tragic Angelika".

Mr Findlay asked: "Do I understand your position is that you believe Father Nugent is a liar?"

Aneta: "Yes."

She said the article was "outrageous and untrue" and described the priest as a "Jekyll and Hyde" character who suffered from mood swings.

She added: "He could be quite irrational and say weird stories.

"He would shout at everyone and then be quiet."

Tobin, a prisoner, has lodged a special defence to the rape allegation, claiming that Angelika agreed to have sex with him.

He is accused of assaulting her between September 24 and 29, last year, at the church in William Street, Anderston, Glasgow, where she lived, or elsewhere.

It is alleged he placed a piece of cloth in her mouth, covered her mouth with tape, bound her hands and raped her.

The charge claims he then repeatedly struck Angelika on the head with a piece of wood or similar instrument, repeatedly struck her on the body with a knife or similar instrument and murdered her.

A further charge states that having committed the murder and being conscious of his guilt, he concealed her body under the church floor and attempted to defeat the ends of justice.

Tobin also denies committing a breach of the peace at the church by uttering threats towards Rebecca Dordi.

He further denies attempting to pervert the course of justice by providing police and hospital staff with false names.

It is claimed that between September 25 and October 6, last year, he told police at the church that he was Patrick McLaughlin and gave an address in Glasgow.

Tobin is then said to have travelled to London and pretended to staff at the National Neurology and Neurosurgery Hospital that he was James Kelly.

The trial, before Lord Menzies, will continue today, with MacAskill expected to face further questions.

 
 

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