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Poles 'touched by warmth of Scots people towards Angelika's family'

Poles were not put off Scotland by the murder of the student Angelika Kluk and were warmed by the compassion shown by Scots to the victim and her family, the Polish ambassador to Britain said yesterday.

Barbara Tuge-Ericinska told The Scotsman the high-profile murder in 2006, although tragic, could have happened anywhere. She said Poles did not blame Scotland for it, nor had it acted as any kind of deterrent to other Poles who wanted to experience life in Scotland.

Ms Tuge-Ericinska became Poland's ambassador in December 2006, after the brutal murder of Ms Kluk, 23, who was killed and buried in a Glasgow church, but before Peter Tobin was convicted of her murder, in May 2007.

The murder shocked both Scotland and Poland, with reports of some young Poles being put off coming to Scotland because of it. Now, 18 months on from the murder and almost a year from Tobin's conviction, Ms Tuge-Ericinska was clear there had been no ill-effects in the view Poles have of Scotland.

She said: "Unfortunately, this kind of tragic event can happen anywhere. I think that people in Poland were very much moved to see how strong and warm the feelings were in Scotland towards the victim and her family."

Full story at The Scotsman.