Karen Buckley murder: Parents 'haunted' by last moments

The father of murdered Irish student Karen Buckley has said his family is haunted by the fear and panic she would have experienced in her last moments.

John Buckley spoke at the High Court in Glasgow after Alexander Pacteau, 21, admitted bludgeoning and strangling his 24-year-old daughter in April.

He said she had been "randomly targeted and murdered by a cowardly vicious criminal".

Mr Buckley said Pacteau was "evil" and should spend his life in jail.

Surrounded by his wife Marian and three sons, Mr Buckley said it was "incredibly difficult" coming back to the city where his daughter "was brutally murdered".

'Worst nightmare'

He said he and his wife had experienced "every parent's worst nightmare".

It emerged in court that Pacteau had met Karen outside a Glasgow nightclub, walked her to his car and driven a short distance before hitting her with a spanner and strangling her.

He then disposed of her body in a barrel which he hid on a farm and bought cleaning products in a bid to cover his tracks.

Mr Buckley said: "All Karen was doing was making her way home when she was randomly targeted and murdered by a cowardly vicious criminal.

Alexander Pacteau admitted strangling Karen Buckley and bludgeoning her with a spanner

"No words of ours can do justice to our feelings towards him. He is truly evil and we hope that he will spend the rest of his life behind bars."

Mr Buckley said the last face his daughter saw was that of a "cold blooded cowardly murderer".

"Our hearts are broken at the thought of Karen's final moments on this world," he said.

"The thought of her being alone, frightened and struggling for her life haunts us.

'Fear and panic'

"The panic and fear she experienced as she fought for her very survival but she had no chance against that coward."

Mr Buckley said that only "the swift action of the police and the people of Glasgow" had enabled Karen to be found and made it possible for her the family to "bring her home and give her a dignified burial".

He added: "It's too late now for Karen but in the future we hope Glasgow will be a safer place for women to walk in, which is their right and to not have this evil murderer to fear."

Following the hearing, Det Supt Jim Kerr, who oversaw the inquiry, said Pacteau's lies unravelled through a combination of information from the community, investigative work and forensic techniques.

Ms Buckley with her three brothers

"Members of the public played a vital role in helping us unlock the circumstances of her disappearance and that led us to Alexander Pacteau," he said.

Det Supt Kerr said witnesses helped establish that Pacteau had lied.

He added: "A significant amount of forensic investigation also helped to establish what really happened to Karen.

"The sheer weight of evidence we were able to gather has, I believe, led to today's guilty plea. As a result, Karen's family have been spared the further distress of a trial."