A Catholic priest yesterday admitted a sexual relationship with a Polish student whose body was later found under his chapel floor.

Father Gerry Nugent, of St Patrick's Church in Glasgow, said he felt shame and disgust and admitted he had abused his position of trust.

The priest, 63, said sexual intimacy happened "about three or four times", but denied being in love with Angelika Kluk.

He told the High Court in Edinburgh the sexual relationship happened in August and September 2005 and he felt better when it ended.

Fr Nugent also admitted to being an alcoholic.

He was giving evidence for a second day at the trial of Peter Tobin, 60, who is accused of raping and murdering the 23-year-old student and hiding her body under the floor of St Patrick's in September last year. He denies all charges against him.

The priest admitted that he spent £1500 on a laptop - even though his basic income was only £1800 a year, supplemented from parish collections and donations for memorial masses.

Questioned by Mr Tobin's defence counsel, Donald Findlay, QC, he insisted that Ms Kluk had not asked him for anything and that what he gave her was his own money - not parish money.

Asked how much he gave Ms Kluk, he replied: "Say she said she was going away, like the weekend she said she was going with her sister to Oban with friends, I gave her money, maybe £20, maybe £25."

Challenged further by Mr Findlay, Fr Gerry told the court: "I bought her the laptop. I had been given money from a man that died in my last parish." He estimated it had cost £1500.

Mr Findlay asked: "You also let her use your credit card, didn't you?"

Fr Nugent told how, after one trip to Poland, Ms Kluk had phoned to say she needed money and he had given her his credit card number. Mr Findlay said: "And thereafter all- owed her to use it?" The priest replied: "Yes. I said, if you are really stuck, go out and use it."

Fr Nugent agreed he had helped pay for a flight to Poland for Ms Kluk.

He also explained that when he met Martin Macaskill - the Polish student's married boyfriend - he was not aware they were having a relationship and that Ms Kluk was in love with Mr Macaskill.

The court has previously heard claims that Father Nugent was "incandescent with rage" when he learned Miss Kluk was having an affair with the married man.

However yesterday Fr Nugent told the court he was simply concerned about the young woman.

Fr Nugent told the court he resigned his post of parish priest two weeks ago, after being asked to do so by Archbishop Mario Conti. The trial continues.

Priest: I almost fell apart as hunt stepped up for Angelika

THE PRIEST at the church where Angelika Kluk was staying told yesterday how he almost went to pieces when her sister and married lover called in police after the student disappeared.

Father Gerry Nugent, 63, said he had been drinking vodka that evening but was not drunk. He was also distracted by a visitor.

He said he went to his room in the chapel house of St Patrick's Church to pray.

Prayers were also said by Anne Macaskill, wife of Angelika's chauffeur lover, the trial heard. But the man now accused of raping and murdering Angelika, 23, Peter Tobin, disappeared during that night of searching, the jury heard - after telling police the student had gone to play golf.

Fr Nugent told the court: "I was not dealing with the situation very well."

As he described the arrival of police and a later visit with a sniffer dog, the priest said: "I was just round the bend with the whole thing."

He added: "The whole evening, everything that was happening, I just ... I couldn't cope with it."

Fr Nugent said that night was his first conversation with Anne Macaskill and he asked her how she was feeling.

Mrs Macaskill told him: "You can only hope that when an affair starts it stops."

Fr Nugent continued: "That is all she said to me. Then she went round to the church to say a prayer." The priest said he never got to bed that night. "When everybody went away I was so exhausted. It must have been about five o'clock. I just went upstairs, got a book and put on a piece of music. I said a few prayers and sat down."

Fr Nugent told advocate-depute Dorothy Bain, prosecuting, that night was the last time he saw Mr Tobin, who had given the name Pat McLaughlin while he worked at the church.

He said he was not surprised when he did not see Mr Tobin the next morning, thinking he too had been unable to get to bed until the early hours of the morning.

"After the mass, several times that morning, I phoned Pat's number because I was getting worried about him. I wondered if it had been getting too much the night before."

Fr Nugent told the trial: "He never came back at all."

The priest gave an account of Mr Tobin's earlier conversation with the first police on the scene. Mr Tobin told the officers he had seen Angelika at 5.30pm.

Mr Tobin had said: "Angelika went away to either get a shower or get ready. She was going out to play golf."

The odd job man told the officers someone had come to collect Angelika. Police had also been asking whether Angelika could have been depressed and Mr Tobin, describing painting the shed with her, told them: "My wee apprentice was great."

The court has heard that Angelika's body was found under the church floor four days later.

In his evidence, Fr Nugent told the hushed court of his shame because he had sex with the young Polish student.

He spoke of how the young woman admired his masses and how they often talked and had "intellectual discussions".

Advocate-depute Dorothy Bain asked him: "Did you have a sexual relationship?"

After a moment's pause, the priest whispered: "Yes."

Recovering his composure, he said it happened in August or September 2005.

"The sexual intimacy happened about three or four times. I felt guilty and I felt ashamed and disgusted with myself. I knew I was wrong and I wanted to make it right."

Ms Bain then asked: "Were you in love with her?" Fr Nugent replied: "No."

He agreed that because she was living under his roof he was in a position of trust and that he had betrayed that trust.

Fr Nugent told the court how he left St Patrick's two weeks ago. Archbishop Mario Conti had asked for his resignation, he said. The priest said he was getting treatment for his drink problem.

In a "special defence" read to the jury, Mr Tobin admits having sex with the Polish student, with her consent.

A charge - which he denies - alleges that he told Glasgow police his name was Patrick McLaughlin, gave a false date of birth and address, and that he travelled to London and gave staff at the National Neurology and Neurosurgery Hospital in Queen's Square, London, another false name.

Mr Tobin also denies a breach of the peace between July and September last year by threatening Russian student Rebecca Dordi at St Patrick's Church.

The trial, at the High Cour in Edinburgh, continues.