Polish Student Loved Life, Says Priest, by Auslan Cramb, Telegraph [Scotland], April 4, 2007

Polish Student Loved Life, Says Priest

By Auslan Cramb
Telegraph [Scotland]
April 4, 2007

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/04/03/npole03.xml

A priest who confessed to sleeping with a Polish student whose body was found in his church told a court yesterday that he admired her vitality and love of life.

Father Gerard Nugent, 63, also told the jury in the Angelika Kluk murder trial that the man accused of murdering her had quickly won his trust and held a key for the church.

He was giving evidence at the trial of Peter Tobin, 60, the church handyman, who denies raping and murdering Miss Kluk, 23, and hiding her body under the floor near the confessional in St Patrick's Church, Glasgow.

Fr Nugent, who said he had resigned from the parish two weeks ago, told the High Court in Edinburgh that he ran an "open door policy" at the church.

During his time as parish priest, about 20 people stayed in the chapel house, including homeless people and visiting priests from Africa.

He said that Miss Kluk arrived in 2005 and asked him if he knew of a parishioner who might take her in.

The priest showed her a room in the chapel house and asked her if she wanted to stay there. "She was delighted," he told the court. "You know, skipping round."

Fr Nugent said he did not charge rent because he knew she was a student planning to return to Gdansk, and she helped around the church.

He said: "I was full of admiration for her because it would seem to me she was up at six o'clock in the morning having some kind of breakfast, then going to work in the city centre until maybe three or four.

"She very much integrated herself in the community because she was a fairly serious student. She did love life, she did love Scotland.

"She would come down to the kitchen and if she thought any jobs wanted doing she would do them."

He described her as devout and "very friendly", adding: "She just loved talking to people".

He told the court: "Oh yes, I admired her. She had a great vitality and desire to live and was good to talk to."

Asked if he had met a man called Patrick McLaughlin, Fr Nugent replied: "Yes, that's Patrick," pointing at Tobin in the dock.

When told that the man who introduced himself as Patrick McLaughlin was Peter Tobin, he added: "Yes, I was surprised to see that. I read it in the papers."

He said that a homeless charity called Loaves and Fishes wanted to paint a room in the church. "One day I came into church and was told, 'This is Pat, he has volunteered to do the painting'."

After that "Patrick" went on to do other work. Then he began turning up every day. He was not paid, but was given cigarettes, and a key to the chapel house.

Dorothy Bain, prosecuting, asked: "He quite quickly gained your trust if you gave him the key?" "Yes, he was great," replied Fr Nugent.

The priest was also shown photographs of the hatch that led to where Miss Kluk's body was found on Sept 29 last year. He said he had "no idea" that it opened.

The court heard earlier that in a statement to police and in a Sunday newspaper article, Fr Nugent said he had had a sexual relationship with the student.

Tobin denies raping and murdering Miss Kluk and attempting to defeat the ends of justice by hiding her body.

The trial continues.