THE Lord Advocate travelled to Ireland to meet the family of Ms Buckley and brief them on the case against Alexander Pacteau.
Frank Mulholland, Scotland's most senior law officer, flew to Cork last month to brief John and Marian Buckley on the progress in the case against Alexander Pacteau.
Pacteau had been charged with the murder of Ms Buckley on April 12, and on Tuesday he pleaded guilty to the charge when he appeared at the High Court in Glasgow.
A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal said Mr Mulholland went to meet the Buckley family in July.
He said: “The Lord Advocate met the Buckley family in Cork and spent the day briefing them on the progress in the case against Alexander Pacteau so they were fully informed of events.”
It is understood Mr Mulholland visited the Buckley family farm in Mourneabbey in north Cork and saw where Ms Buckley grew up.
The aim of the visit was to ensure he was fully familiar with her life story for Pacteau’s court case.
It is not unusual for the Lord Advocate to personally brief the families of murder victims in advance of someone going on trial.
The spokesman said: "Families often meet the prosecutor in advance of a trial and in the past there have been cases where the Lord Advocate has travelled abroad to brief the affected parties."
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