Polish community shocked by Kluk murder

By Anna Tomforde May 4, 2007, 17:14 GMT

London - The murder of beautiful 23-year-old Angelika Kluk has left the Polish community in Glasgow, Scotland, in deep in shock.

The fact that Kluk, from Skoczow, was murdered and raped in the grounds of a church has added to the sense of disbelief among those who left their staunchly Catholic country to make a new life in Scotland.

Church and political leaders moved swiftly Friday to reassure the parents of young Poles who are planning to come Scotland.

Mario Conti, the Archbishop of Glasgow, apologized for what happened in the church after catholic priest Gerry Nugent admitted in court that he had slept with the victim.

In the days after Angelika's disappearance last September her sister, Aneta, who was living in Glasgow, desperately used the message boards on a website serving Poles moving to Scotland to try and trace her.

Meanwhile, at St Simon's Church, where many of Glasgow's 6,000- strong Polish community worship, prayers were said after the tragedy.

However, Aleksander Dietkow, the Polish Consul General for Scotland, said he had been assured that the murder had not affected relations between Poles and their adopted homeland.

'It was a terrible event, terrible tragedy for the family for the sister and the father,' he said.

'But it's not related in any way to Scottish-Polish relations.

'It was no question that Angelika was killed as a Polish girl. It's just coincidence that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time - a personal individual tragedy.'

Dietkow revealed that her case had been raised with Scottish leaders ahead of a visit to Scotland by Polish President Lech Kaczynskyjust weeks after the murder.

Dietkow also praised the way the community reacted after Kluk disappeared by translating and distributing missing posters.

Karol Chojnowski, 26, is the general manager for Szkocja.net, a website providing information for Poles in Scotland, said many Poles had been shocked by the sheer brutality of Angelika's murder.

'The revelations during the court case were more and more shocking. This was a terrible crime,' he said.

'But I don't think it will affect Polish people who want to come to Scotland. Most of the contributions we have had from Poles said that they think Angelika was in the wrong place at the wrong time.'

'This crime could have happened anywhere and I don't think it will put people off. It has been hard for some people to comprehend how this has happened,' said Chojnowski.