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	Priest: Yes, I Had Sex with Angelika Three or Four Times By Gordan Mcilwraith Glasgow Daily Record [Scotland] April 4, 2007 http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_headline=priest-- yes--i-had-sex-with-angelika-three-or-four-times&method=full&objectid=18854376&siteid=66633-name_page.html A priest yesterday told a murder trial that he had sex with Polish student Angelika Kluk. Self-confessed alcoholic Father Gerry Nugent, 63, admitted: "Yes. Sexual intimacy happened three or four times." He told the jury he felt "guilty, ashamed and disgusted" at his own behaviour. The priest also revealed that although his income was just £1800 a year, he showered gifts on Angelika - including a £1500 laptop computer. But he said he wasn't in love with the 23-year-old, whose body was found under the floorboards inside his church. Father Nugent was giving evidence at the trial of chapel handyman Peter Tobin, 60, who denies raping and murdering Angelika last September. At the High Court in Edinburgh, the priest was cross-examined by Tobin's lawyer, Donald Findlay QC. He said he had a yearly income of £1800 plus money from donations. Father Nugent told the court he had been left money by a parishioner and used that to give Angelika £25 when she went on trips. He said he shelled out £1500 on the laptop because he saw how seriously she took her studies. Mr Findlay said: "Hundreds of people in Anderston are never going to see a laptop, never mind own one. Why pay for Angelika's?" Father Nugent said: "Because I thought she needed it." Once, Angelika called from Holland needing money and the priest gave her his creditcard number. After that, she used it when she needed. He revealed he had also paid for her to fly to Poland. Mr Findlay asked: "How many other people in your parish in the past two years have you helped by giving them money, a computer, paying for travel and using a credit card?" Father Nugent said: "I have never given anyone else use of my credit card but I have helped people in various ways. I think I would give someone my last penny." Mr Findlay said: "Angelika Kluk was somebody you treated quite differently from anyone else. Is that fair?" The priest said: "That would be fair." Earlier, prosecutor Dorothy Bain asked the priest if he had sexual relations with Angelika. He hesitated for a few seconds before saying: "Yes." He added: "I felt guilty, I felt ashamed and I was disgusted with myself." The court heard Angelika had been living rent-free at St Patrick's Church house in Anderston, Glasgow, while taking a summer break from her university studies in Poland. Ms Bain pointed out that Angelika's married lover, Martin MacAskill, 40, and her sister, Aneta, 28, didn't believe Father Nugent's claims that he had sex with her. But he replied: "Sadly, they are true." The priest told the jury that the sexual relationship lasted from the end of August to the beginning of September 2005. He said: "I take full responsibility. "I knew it was wrong and I knew I was doing wrong. I felt terrible. I knew I had to stop that part of the relationship. "I felt at peace with myself when it was over. I still had some feelings for her in terms of admiration. "I thought the relationship was better because nothing was going wrong. "In a way, I felt closer to her because I felt it was the right way to be with her." Ms Bain asked Father Nugent: "Were you in love with her?" He replied: "No." Ms Bain said: "You were in a position of trust. Do you consider now that you abused that?" The priest said: "Yes." Father Nugent also confirmed that he knew a man called Kieran McLernan who wasn't resident in the Anderston area. He said: "My memory is he came originally from Kilwinning. He attended regularly but not every week. I knew he moved eventually to Aberdeen but I don't know him other than coming to church." The priest revealed that, about 10 years ago, he suffered from alcoholism. He gave up the booze but, two years ago, he began drinking again. He claimed he was not drinking in the period when he had sex with Angelika. Father Nugent said: "I did the wrong thing and lifted up a drink two years ago. In those two years I have been in and out, drinking and coming off it." The priest said he was never a Jekylland-Hyde character on drink, but he admitted it had affected his judgment. In response to further questions, he said he had never had sexual relations with his friend, GeraldineMcGowan. In July last year, Father Nugent learned that Angelika was seeing MacAskill. He said: "I was concerned because of what had happened withme and her." His worries centred on the fact that Angelika was due to return to Poland in October and Mr MacAskill would be in Scotland with his wife. He then learned that Angelika and Mr MacAskill were having sex in the chapel house and he asked her to stop. He told the court: "I said I think it would be appropriate to say to Martin not to come to the house unless he is coming to collect you. "To his credit, he did that." Ms Bain asked the priest what relationship Angelika had with the accused, who he knew as Pat McLaughlin. She said: "It might be suggested they had a sexual relationship." Father Nugent replied: "I wasn't aware of that at all." The court heard that last summer, Tobin worked at the church doing odd jobs and using the name Pat McLaughlin. On September 24, Angelika spent much of the day helping him paint a shed in the garage which adjoins the chapel house. After the second Mass of the day, he chatted with parishioners and spent some time with church helpers watching a re-run of the X Factor on TV. Father Nugent said he had popped into the garage and Tobin said he was getting great help from Angelika, who he described as his "apprentice". About 3.30pm, the priest went upstairs to get changed as a friend was coming to collect him to go to her house for dinner. On his way to his rooms, he saw Angelika by the garage door on her mobile phone. When he left, he didn't know if anyone else was in the church. The front door, on North Street, was left open as was normal on a Sunday. Father Nugent returned to the chapel house about 8.45pm because he wanted to watch football on TV. He said he drank vodka once he was home, and claimed he didn't see Angelika or Tobin at that time. Later, Mr MacAskill phoned asking if he'd check if Angelika was in. He knocked on her door but there was no reply. The next day, Tobin asked if he could stay over in the common room that night. In the evening, Geraldine McGowan arrived for a meal. The priest was busy preparing it when Mr MacAskill phoned. He hadn't heard from Angelika and asked the priest to phone her sister, Aneta, who was also living in Glasgow. Father Nugent said: "I spoke to Aneta and she asked me to go up and see if Angela's passport was in her room. "There was no evidence of a passport. I phoned and told her I hadn't found it. "About 8.30pm, Martin phoned again and said could he come round and I said certainly. He went up to the room and pulled out a bag and when he went into the bag he brought out the passport." The priest denied he had been drinking at that stage but admitted: "I was getting flustered and I knew I wasn't dealing with the situation very well. "I was confused and disturbed." Later that evening, the police were called. Two officers arrived and began taking statements. Father Nugent said Tobin was there and told police he was Pat McLaughlin. The priest told the court: "He said that, about 5.30pm, Angela went away to get showered because she was going out meet someone to go to play golf. "He said he saw her going and whoever she was going out with had a nice car." On the Tuesday, Father Nugent went into the garage several times before 10am to see Tobin, but he wasn't there. He said: "I phoned Pat's number several times because I was getting worried about him but I never got an answer and I never saw him again. He never came back." Ms Bain asked: "On the Monday after he had arranged to stay the night, did he at any stage say 'I'm going, goodbye'?" Father Nugent said: "He never said, no." He then revealed that he had quit as parish priest within the last two weeks after he was asked to tender his resignation by Archbishop Mario Conti. He said: "My title is priest of the Archdiocese of Glasgow on sick leave." Father Nugent said he had health problems including asthma and a doctor thought he might be suffering the early stages ofmultiple sclerosis. Tobin is alleged to have raped Angelika, hit her on the head with a blunt instrument and repeatedly stabbed her. He claims Angelika agreed to have sex with him. The trial before Lord Menzies continues.
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