Peter Tobin, The Church Handyman Found Guilty Of Miss Kluk's Rape And Murder

The man they always knew was the killer of the young Polish student, Angelika Kluk, has been found guilty. Peter Tobin, the convicted sex offender will go to prison for 21 years

The 60-year-old church handyman looks simple and innocent with his wrinkly old man face yet his is the face of evil and the last thing the young and pretty Polish student saw whilst she slowly died. The judge, Lord Menzies and the jury at the High Court in Edinburgh, heard how Tobin had concealed her body under the floor of the church, where the congregation were to walk over her many times and realise that there was the body of a girl beneath their feet. Tobin did deny the charges throughout the case stating that the girl had offered him sex. Tobin, who was described by Lord Menzies as 'an evil man' fled to London after the murder in the hope that he would not be found. A nationwide man hunt started for him. There was at no point, any doubt that he was involved in her murder. She had been stabbed repeatedly around her body and had suffered violent head injuries before she was bundled under the church floor where she had been a cleaner to fund her English studies. Yet he even presented himself as a violent threat in the court whilst he was led away. He threw a press photographer to the court floor after he had aggressively attacked him. Lord Menzies had said to Tobin,

"In the course of my time in the law I have seen many bad men and I have heard evidence about many terrible crimes which have been committed but I have heard no case more tragic, more terrible than this one. The advocate-depute describes what you did to Angelika Kluk as an atrocity and that word aptly describes what you did to this young woman. Any case of rape is serious. Any case of murder is serious. But what you did to Angelika Kluk was inhuman."

In Tobin's defence, it was attempted to be revealed that she had affairs with a former parish priest and a married chauffeur. The priest was pressed for information into the affair as the defence claimed that he had an element of involvement in her death. The former priest was found in contempt of court as he had admitted to giving false information to the defence. Miss Kluk's sister Aneta, who as present for the court case, issued a statement which was read out by Strathclyde Police. It said,

"My father Wladyslaw and I are relieved that the man responsible for Angelika's death is now likely to spend the rest of his days behind bars. We would both like to thank all of the Scottish public for their support during this horrific time."

Tobin was a convicted sex offender and had already served time in prison for raping a 14 year old and assaulting another in Hampshire in 1993. He was made a free man in 2004. It was only two years later that he met Miss Kluk.