Body found in church during police hunt for Polish student

Detectives would give no details as to whether the body that was concealed within St Patrick's church in the Anderston area of Glasgow, where Angelika had met Peter Tobin, was male or female.

Tobin, who was jailed for the rape of a girl and the sexual assault of another 12 years ago, was the last person to see the 23-year-old student who has been missing since Sunday.

He had been using the alias Pat McLaughlin and was claiming to be homeless when he met Angelika, who was staying in church accommodation at the chapel.

The grim discovery was made at around 8pm last night while police teams were carrying out a detailed search of the premises.

Police said the body was "concealed", but refused to give more details other than to say the missing person's case remained open.

Earlier yesterday, police had issued a warning that Tobin was a potential danger to the public and should not be confronted. They said Tobin had an outstanding warrant served on him under the Sex Offenders Act 2003, relating to failing to inform police of a change of address.

Chief Inspector Elaine Ferguson, the officer in charge of the investigation into the whereabouts of Angelika, said: "It has now been established that the man police have been looking for in connection with the disappearance of Angelika Kluk is otherwise known as Peter Tobin.

"Peter Tobin is a registered sex offender. He had been doing odd jobs at St Patrick's this past six weeks and was known to everyone there that he came into contact with as Pat McLaughlin.

"Tobin is considered a potential risk to the public. Any person who sees this man is advised not to approach him but to contact police.

"This new information that has come to light, as a direct result of media coverage, is of considerable importance."

The last known address for Tobin, 60, was in the Paisley area.

Angelika, who was staying at the church while working in the city during the university holidays, had last been seen helping Tobin on Sunday to build and paint a hut on the day of her disappearance.

In addition to lying about his identity to members of the church, he had also told them that he had been sleeping in a derelict building on Byres Road in Glasgow's West End, that in the past he had an alcohol problem and had a heart problem.

He had also given the police similar information on Monday night when they carried out their initial investigations at the chapel.

However, the following day he failed to turn up for work and efforts by Father Gerry Nugent, the priest at St Patrick's, to contact him proved fruitless.

Before the police announcement, Fr Nugent had spoken of how he had given Tobin the run of the house to carry out repairs and maintenance and that "if he was a robber, he could have easily robbed this place".

Before the discovery of the body last night, Fr Nugent had spoken of his shock at hearing of Tobin's past: "I'm completely devastated by this report. I don't know what to do, I can't believe it, I'm completely shattered by this news."

Ronnie Convery, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, had said: "The news is shocking, it's alarming and we can only hope against hope that somehow Angelika will come back. But having said that, tonight's announcement is not good news.

"I know Fr Gerry is shattered with the news. He will do anything to help find the girl and he himself is personally traumatised by this.

"Angelika is somebody he had taken in during her time of need and been a lodger for some months."

Tobin's cover story - that he was a mild-mannered handy-worker - could not have been more different from his real past.

In 1994, Tobin was jailed for 14 years after holding two 14-year-old girls at knifepoint, forcing them to ingest sedatives and then raping one of them while she was partially conscious.

Tobin, 47 at the time, began sexually assaulting the second girl and only ceased after he was interrupted by his six-year old son, who was at home at the time. He then left the girls partially clothed with an unlit heater spewing gas into his Hampshire flat.

Police were called when one of the girls woke some five hours later and found a bloodied bandage around her wrists, a tie around her ankle and her prostrate friend next to her.

After the crime, Tobin fled to Brighton, where he joined a religious group and, using the alias Peter Wilson, immersed himself in its community at Stockton, Warwickshire.

Tobin's membership of the religious community allowed him to remain undetected in Warwickshire, but he later returned to Brighton where he was arrested after an appeal on the BBC Crimewatch programme.

As dedectives continued to scour St Patrick's last night, police said a post mortem examination would be carried out today to establish the cause of death.

Nightmare for Angelika's sister

THE sister of Angelika Kluk yesterday told of the nightmare she had been going through since her disappearance.

Speaking from her home in the east end of Glasgow before a body was found at St Patrick's Church in the Anderston area of the city, Aneta Kluk, 28, said: "I haven't slept since Monday night, I haven't eaten.

"We are worried sick and very scared now, it's been so many days, too long without any trace."

Begging for information about her 23-year-old sister, she said: "There must have been someone that has seen her either leaving the premises or otherwise."

During the initial police investigation into Angelika's disappearance, Aneta met Peter Tobin, the man police are seeking in connection with the case.

Last night, she said the appeal she had made to the Polish community during Tuesday's press conference had elicited a major response.

"I've got a really good response, and I'm still on-line all the time and everyone is writing to me," she said.

"I'm working on posters, I've been co-operating with other Polish people who have volunteered to help me with this, so that I'm not just sitting here doing nothing.

"We've got two different photos of her which may trigger the memories of somebody who may have seen her, but they can't remember."

Aneta, helped by Angelika's boyfriend Martin Macaskill, placed the posters in libraries, bars and museums around the city.

These include an image of Angelika on holiday in Largs, a description of her last known whereabouts and a police station phone number. Mr Macaskill yesterday declined to comment about the case.

Aneta also said that she had was also remaining in close contact with local Poles through a community web-site.

Police also issued their own posters around the city centre yesterday.

Case fuels calls for sex offender's register to be changed

THE Tobin case highlights the urgent need for changes to be made to the sex offenders' register, politicians said last night.

Margaret Mitchell MSP, the Tory justice spokeswoman, said people on the register should be subject to more rigorous checks and jailed if they give false information

At present, sex offenders have to keep police informed about their address, job and any plans to go abroad.

Ms Mitchell said: "This is a most distressing case involving a young and trusting Polish woman who has come to live in Scotland.

"The details which have emerged make it a matter of urgency for changes to be made to how the register operates.

"The onus should be on the sex offender to keep the authorities informed of any changes. Jailing them if they fail to comply would send out a powerful message to other offenders. The register does serve some purpose, but we are learning all the time and this distressing case highlights the flaws."

However, John Scott, chairman of the Howard League for Penal Reform in Scotland, said the register served the purpose it was set up for.

"It is a question of balance. There is no such thing as a 'risk-free' former sex offender unless they were subject to monitoring 24 hours a day.

"This is a horrible situation and one case is one case too many. But a large number of sex offenders live in the community and have been prepared for their release while in custody or the risk has been assessed as being not so great."

In one of the most prominent cases that highlighted failings in sex offender laws, Mark Cummings, eight, was murdered by sex offender Stuart Leggate in 2004.

The child's body was thrown down a rubbish chute in Royston, in Glasgow. The proposals enshrined in "Mark's Law" also call for a review of where sex offenders are housed and for special courts to be set up to deal with paedophiles.