By Stephen McGinty and John Robertson
Scotsman [Scotland]
April 4, 2007
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=516462007
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| Father Gerard Nugent stood at the witness stand and admitted having a sexual affair with the Polish student as well as buying her gifts. Photo by Donald MacLeod |
• Catholic priest confesses to affair and to alcoholism
• Father Gerard Nugent returned to alcohol after decade of sobriety
• Angelika Kluk murder trial continues, with Peter Tobin accused
Key quote
"I took full responsibility. I knew it was wrong. I knew I was doing wrong and I felt guilty. I felt terrible and I knew it had to stop, so that part of the relationship stopped." - Father Gerard Nugent
Story in full The Catholic confessional, with its dark wooden panels, metal grille and cloth curtain to mask penitent from priest, was replaced yesterday by a blond wooden witness box, a microphone and a large jug of water. For Father Gerard Nugent, there was no more public place to confess to having had sexual relations with Angelika Kluk "three or four times" than the High Court in Edinburgh, where he admitted yesterday: "I felt shame. I was disgusted at myself."
In a dark suit and bright white dog collar, the traditional garb of a Catholic priest, Fr Nugent stood at the witness stand and admitted having a sexual affair with the Polish student as well as buying her gifts, such as a laptop computer, and allowing her to draw money from his credit card while she was in Poland.
Speaking in a clear voice, the 63-year-old priest said he was an alcoholic who had returned to the bottle in the past two years after ten years of sobriety. He admitted to drinking vodka on the evening that Miss Kluk's disappearance was first reported and locking himself in his personal quarters with a female friend who had wished to discuss a private matter. He denied, however, that he was drunk.
A long day of persistent questioning, first by Dorothy Bain, prosecuting, and later by Donald Findlay, QC, for the defence, began shortly after 10am. In answer to a question from Ms Bain, Fr Nugent admitted his relationship with Ms Kluk, who was then staying at the parish house, was sexual. He said: "The sexual intimacy happened about three or four times." He went on: "I felt shame. I was disgusted at myself. I knew I was wrong and I wanted to make it right."
The affair, which took place in August and September 2005, was ended by Fr Nugent, who admitted it was an abuse of his position as parish priest.
When Ms Bain asked him: "Were you in love with her?" he replied: "No."
The lawyer continued: "You were in a position of trust. Do you consider now that you abused that?"
"Yes," said Fr Nugent.
He explained he had ended the sexual relationship in September 2005, saying: "I took full responsibility. I knew it was wrong. I knew I was doing wrong and I felt guilty. I felt terrible and I knew it had to stop, so that part of the relationship stopped.
"I felt peace within myself when it was over. I still had the same feelings for her in terms of admiration and, in my opinion, the relationship was better because I was aware nothing was going wrong and, in a way, I kind of felt closer to her because I felt it was the right way to be with her."
After the sexual relationship ended, Fr Nugent said he visited Ms Kluk in Poland, while she was at Gdansk University. The priest then confirmed what Mss Kluk's sister, Aneta, had previously told the court - that he was an alcoholic. He said: "I'm an alcoholic, yes." He told the court he went to Alcoholics Anonymous ten years ago and discovered that he had an illness.
He had stopped drinking, but "for personal reasons, through health" he started drinking again about two years ago. He said: "I have been in and out, trying to come off it." In drink, he was not under the impression that his behaviour or his attitude or the way he spoke to people changed. He never saw himself as a Jekyll-and-Hyde character, but accepted that alcohol probably affected his judgment.
Asked if he had been drinking when he had sexual relations with Ms Kluk, he stated: "No."
Fr Nugent then told the jury that he became aware of Ms Kluk's affair with Mark Macaskill last year, although initially he had not known the depth of her feelings for him. He did not so much disapprove, but had concerns. "I said to her, 'You know, because of what happened between you and I, that you have to go back [to Poland] in a month's time, and how will this affect you and your studies? Martin has to stay here with his wife. How is that going to affect his life?' I was asking her to try to have another look at what was happening," he said.
He told the court Peter Tobin had been known to him as Pat McLaughlin. Fr Nugent said he was unaware of any sexual relationship between Tobin and Ms Kluk. They would meet at the church and might help each other to do gardening and other odd jobs. He said: "As far as I knew, that was the relationship - working together and stopping and chatting and having a cup of tea."
During questioning, he accepted his earlier accounts of seeing Ms Kluk and Peter Tobin were more detailed than he remembered in the witness box.
Tobin, who was flanked by two security guards, wore a purple sweater and checked shirt, and sat with his head down writing in a shorthand notebook.
During her questioning, Ms Bain had addressed the priest as "Father Gerry". Mr Findlay addressed him as "Father Nugent".
Under questioning from Mr Findlay, Fr Nugent agreed that his £1,800 annual income had been derived from the Archdiocese of Glasgow and that the running of the church was also supported by contributions from parishioners. He later said he had bought Ms Kluk a laptop computer, given her money and allowed her to use his credit card while in Poland.
Fr Nugent, however, said he had received money from a man who had died. Mr Findlay then said: "It is a simple fact that Angelika Kluk was somebody - and we are only dealing with financially at the present time - you treated quite differently from anybody else."
Fr Nugent replied: "That would be fair."
Each time, Fr Nugent took to the witness stand, he checked his glasses were in his top breast pocket, brought them out and then put them away again. They were required when examining CCTV footage of cars arriving and departing from the church.
Fr Nugent had stated that he was employed by the Archdiocese of Glasgow, but he was informed by Mr Findlay that, according to Monsignor Peter Smith, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Glasgow, priests were self-employed.
Tobin, 60, the church handyman, is accused of raping and murdering Ms Kluk. He denies rape, murder and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
In a special defence read to the jury, he admits having had sex with the Polish student.
He is accused of attacking Ms Kluk at St Patrick's Church or elsewhere between September 24 and September 29.
It is alleged he placed a piece of cloth in her mouth, covered her mouth with tape, bound her hands and raped her.
He is accused of concealing the student's body under the floor of the church after beating her on the head with a piece of wood, or something similar, and striking her repeatedly with a knife.
A further charge, also denied by Tobin, alleges that he tried to pervert the course of justice by pretending to Glasgow police that he was called Patrick McLaughlin, and by claiming to staff at the National Neurology and Neurosurgery Hospital in London that his name was James Kelly.
He also denies a breach of the peace between July and September last year at the church.
The case continues.
Priest locked himself in to try to calm down, court told
Father Gerard Nugent, the parish priest in whose church the body of Angelika Kluk was discovered, yesterday gave his own account of the crucial weekend last September when the student went missing.
On the weekend of Ms Kluk's disappearance, she and Peter Tobin had been painting a shed in the garage at the church. Fr Nugent had seen them on the Sunday morning. Then, that afternoon, he popped into the garage and Tobin told him he was getting great help from "his wee apprentice". That was the term Fr Nugent said he used to describe Ms Kluk.
The priest and some volunteers at the church watched a repeat of The X Factor on television and he went upstairs to his room to get ready to go out for the evening. He saw Ms Kluk standing at a door leading to the garage, using her mobile phone.
His understanding was that when he left the church to go out, only Tobin and Ms Kluk were there.
Next day, the Monday, Martin Macaskill, her lover, arrived at the church looking for Ms Kluk, and eventually he reported her missing to the police. He was joined at the church by his wife, Annie Macaskill, and Aneta Kluk, Ms Kluk's sister.
The court has been told that while the trio searched the grounds, Fr Nugent had locked himself in the residential area of the church house. When they tried to get in, to check Ms Kluk's room, he ignored their calls, and they eventually managed to get the key from the other side of the door and to open the door.
Fr Nugent told the court he had a visitor that night, a woman, Geraldine, with whom he had something to discuss. He said there had been no sexual relationship between them. He had been drinking. He agreed it had been "odd" to lock the door.
"The whole evening, everything that was happening, I just could not cope with it. I was all confused, just round the bend with the whole thing. I was disturbed. I locked the door and said to Geraldine I needed to talk to her and try to calm down," said Fr Nugent.
When the police arrived, everyone in the house gave statements, including Tobin, who had previously asked to stay at the church house on the Monday night.
Fr Nugent agreed with Dorothy Bain, the advocate-depute, that Tobin had not stayed the night, and after they gave their statements to the police, the priest had not seen him again. He had tried phoning the next day, concerned, but got no reply.
Ms Bain asked: "On the Monday, after he arranged to stay the night, did he say, 'I'm going, goodbye'?" Fr Nugent said: "No."
The priest said he had resigned as parish priest of St Patrick's about a fortnight ago.
He had been asked to resign by Archbishop Mario Conti.
Officially, he was under sick leave. He had had a problem with his hand and arm and had been told by a doctor that "it could be the beginning of MS".
TRAGEDY OF SUMMER JOB
Angelika Kluk, 23, used to take summer jobs in Scotland to pay her way through Gdansk University, where she studied Scandinavian languages.
In 2005 and 2006, she was given free board at St Patrick's Church, Anderston, Glasgow, and in return would help out with the cleaning and odd jobs around the church, its house and grounds. Through the church, she came to know the handyman, Peter Tobin, who used the name Pat McLaughlin.
Last year, Ms Kluk had an affair with a married man, Martin Macaskill. He last heard from Ms Kluk in a text message on the afternoon of Sunday, 24 September, and reported her missing the following day.
On the Friday of that week, her body was found under the floor of the church, access to which was gained through a hatch just outside the confessional box.
Donald Findlay, QC, for Tobin, outraged Mr Macaskill by asking if it had never in his darker moments crossed his mind that his wife, Annie, might have had some part to play in the death of Ms Kluk.
Mr Macaskill told the court of his panic when he could not contact Ms Kluk.
He did not believe Ms Kluk had had a sexual relationship with Father Gerry Nugent, and the priest had ostracised Ms Kluk on learning of her affair with Mr Macaskill.
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