A MEMORIAL mass was held to mark one year since the murder of Karen Buckley. 

The Irish student, 24, was killed by Alexander Pacteau, 22, who beat her to death with a spanner. The former public schoolboy, who was jailed for 23 years for the murder, then tried to dissolve her body in a bath full of chemicals. 

Ms Buckley's home town of Cork in Ireland hosted the anniversary mass on Friday evening. 

READ MORE: Karen Buckley: Family ‘coping as best they can’ one year after murder

Father Joe O'Keeffe lead prayers at the Church of St Michael the Archangel in Mourneabbey. 

Pacteau lured the occupational therapy student from a nightclub in the west end of Glasgow to his car.

Glasgow Times:

He then bludgeoned Karen to death in the vehicle before driving home to his flat, carrying her body inside and dumping her in a bath full of caustic soda in an attempt to dissolve her body. 

READ MORE: Karen Buckley: Glasgow students to remember murdered nurse at memorial service

The killer then purchased a large barrel at a hardware store and put her body inside before driving to a East Dunbartonshire farm and dumping the container. 

Earlier this week a private service was held at Glasgow Caledonian Unversity, where Karen studied, to remember her. 

Glasgow Times:

During sentencing Lady Rae said Pacteau went to extraordinary lengths to cover up his "senseless, brutal and motiveless" crime and said she could not imagine him being truly sorry for the murder. 

Pacteau had even wrote down the fictitious story he told police so he would remember his lies. 

READ MORE: Karen Buckley: Family ‘coping as best they can’ one year after murder