Pacteau had previously been acquitted of attempted rape

Convicted murderer charged with attacking 24-year-old care worker in 2013

Alexander Pacteau being interviewed by police during the investigation into the murder of Karen Buckley.
Alexander Pacteau being interviewed by police during the investigation into the murder of Karen Buckley.

Alexander Pacteau, who has been convicted of the murder of Irish nurse Karen Buckley, was acquitted of attempted rape in 2013.

Broadcaster STV reported the previous case after Tuesday’s conviction. The case involved a 24-year-old care worker who was returning from a 21st birthday party four years ago when she met Pacteau on the street and he tried to force her to perform a sex act on him. Pacteau denied this.

STV reported that witnesses living in nearby flats said they had heard “distressed, terrified, very definite scared screams” from a woman on the night of the incident.

The broadcaster said it had acquired a transcript of the five-day trial at the high court in Paisley and that Pacteau had said: “I did not sexually assault this woman. I would never make an attempt to sexually assault this woman. I believe rape is the lowest of the low.

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“I’d rather be charged with murder than attempted rape.”

Seperately, Pacteau came to police attention over an investigation into forged money.

He was convicted at Glasgow Sheriff’s Court in 2014 after pleading guilty to forging £6,000 of banknotes.

Police said they found equipment used for producing counterfeit money, including a laptop, a printer, ink cartridges and a paper trimmer.

Pacteau’s lawyer said he forged the money because he was unable to work following a serious car crash in 2011.

On Tuesday, Pacteau pleaded guilty in court in Glasgow to the murder of Karen Buckley in the city last April after disappearing outside a nightclub.

The court heard Ms Buckley, a 24-year old nurse from Mourneabbey in north Cork, was killed by Alexander Pacteau within 20 minutes of meeting him by chance outside the nightclub on April 12th last.

Pacteau tried to dispose of her body by first soaking her remains in a bath of caustic soda and later in a barrel of the same solution, the court was told.

After he pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow this morning, he was remanded in custody for sentencing at a later day for the murder of Ms Buckley at Kelvin Way, Glasgow in the early hours of April 12th last. He faces a sentence of life imprisonment.