Pacteau will stand trial this year

The man charged with the murder of Cork student Karen Buckley will stand trial before the end of the year.

Alexander Pacteau, aged 21, of Dorchester Avenue in Glasgow, will be brought before Glasgow Sheriff’s Court on Friday for a “full committal hearing”.

Mr Pacteau, who is not obliged to enter a plea at what will be his second private Sheriff’s Court hearing, is expected to be remanded in custody again.

Under Scottish law and depending on the seriousness of an offence, the prosecution must serve details of the charges an accused faces within either 80, 110, or 140 days of the accused being fully committed in custody.

In serious cases like murder which are heard in the High Court, a full committal hearing will trigger a process which will see the prosecution operating under one of the strictest legal time limits in the world to prepare within about three months, what is, in effect, the book of evidence.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said that, in murder cases, the next step after a full committal hearing is the preliminary hearing, which must occur within 110 days from the point of full committal. In Mr Pacteau’s case, the clock will start ticking on the 110-day period following his full committal hearing on Friday.

“This preliminary hearing gives the judge, among other things, a chance to ascertain the state of preparation of the parties, and he will only allow the matter to proceed to trial when the parties are ready,” said the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

“As with the time limits in sheriff court cases, this helps to provide a degree of certainty as to when the trial will take place and avoids witnesses turning up at court only to find that the trial has been adjourned to another date. The trial in custody cases must begin within 140 days.”

It means that, in Mr Pacteau’s case, he should be served with the book of evidence within three months, and following his preliminary hearing, a date will be set for trial.

Mr Pacteau was seen with Ms Buckley outside the Sanctuary nightclub in Glagow at around 1am last Sunday week.

Her disappearance triggered a major search operation at key sites in and around the city which culminated in the discovery of her body at High Craigton Farm on the city’s outskirts, on Thursday.

Mr Pacteau, who had been detained by police last Wednesday, was arrested in the early hours of last Thursday morning in connection with Ms Buckley’s disappearance and death. He was formally charged on Friday with her murder and with attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has declined to comment on reports that court documents allege that Mr Pacteau assaulted Ms Buckley with a blunt instrument and strangled her before trying to dispose of her body using acid in a barrel.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is liaising with the Buckley family on the repatriation of the young woman’s remains for burial.

Her parents, Marian and John, who flew home on Saturday, are being comforted and supported by family and friends in Mourneabbey.

While it is hoped Ms Buckley’s remains will be returned to Ireland tomorrow, Mr Pacteau’s legal team could request an independent autopsy which could delay the repatriation by several days.