Angelina Kluk priest accused of raping girl aged 13
A CATHOLIC priest disgraced during a notorious murder trial repeatedly raped a schoolgirl, it was claimed yesterday.
The Archdiocese of Glasgow confirmed that it had been providing counselling to the woman, now aged 51, for ‘several years’.
The mother of four claims that shamed sexual predator Father Gerry Nugent subjected her to two years of sexual abuse before raping her only days after her 13th birthday.
Nugent, 66, died of a heart attack at a Catholic Church safe house in Govan, Glasgow, in 2010, three years after his conduct was exposed during serial killer Peter Tobin’s trial.
Tobin murdered Polish student Angelika Kluk before hiding the 23-year-old’s body under the floorboards of St Patrick’s church in Anderston, Glasgow, where he worked as a handyman.
During the subsequent trial Nugent, who was an alcoholic, was forced to give evidence in which he admitted sleeping with Miss Kluk, whose mutilated body was discovered in the church in September 2006.
In court, Nugent claimed to have had a sexual relationship with the student while she was staying with him, but he changed his story several times during the days he gave evidence and was eventually found guilty of contempt.
Following the conclusion of the case, he made a series of shock confessions about ‘sexual fumbling’ with prostitutes in the church house. He had previously come to the attention of police due to his forays into the red light district as well as being accused of rape at a previous parish.
Meanwhile, other women soon came forward to accuse him of sexual abuse.
Now the Catholic Church is bracing itself for further fallout from the latest claim about Nugent’s conduct.
The woman making the allegations, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is pursuing a civil action against the church.
She claims she was first abused by Nugent as a vulnerable 11-yearold while staying with her grandmother. She told the Sunday Mail: ‘I was about 11 when he started doing things which I felt uncomfortable about.
‘He’d hold me or stroke me – like some kind of pet cat. One time he put his arms around me and started rubbing himself on me.
‘He raped me just after I turned 13, and gave me a gift for my birthday. I objected, but he said it was OK – that this is what the priest does with his special ones. He said that I had been approved to be a special one.
‘I told my gran but she was furious and told me that I was evil – and I just let him do what he wanted.’
Nugent was forced to retire following Tobin’s murder conviction. Tobin, now 71 and still behind bars, was later convicted of killing two other girls, among other offences.
Following the trial and the revelations about Nugent’s behaviour, the Catholic Church was forced to issue an apology to those he had harmed.
A service in memory of Nugent was conducted by Archbishop of Glasgow Mario Conti, one of Scotland’s most senior Catholic churchmen, following his death in early 2010.
Regarding the priest’s crimes, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Glasgow said: ‘Given that Father Nugent is dead, it is impossible to take any further action against him.
‘However, it is important to note that the church has apologised unreservedly to all who have been affected in any way by abuse by the clergy. Such abuse is evil and indefensible.
‘The person brought her case to the attention of the church several years ago, and we have been in supportive and sympathetic dialogue.
‘Confidentiality in respect of individual survivors prevents us from disclosing details of this case, but in general terms we can support survivors with counselling, with practical help and with advice about legal representation in order to pursue a claim for compensation if they wish.
‘The church of today has radically different rules and procedures in place to protect children and vulnerable adults than was the case 35 years ago.
‘Parishes and dioceses have volunteer and professional experts in safeguarding, and a national office has been established to ensure that the highest standards are adhered to.’
‘He’d stroke me like a pet cat’