A 21-year-old man is due in court in connection with the death of Irish student Karen Buckley, and a candlelit vigil is planned in Glasgow’s George Square.
Organisers said the vigil would show the people of Glasgow’s support for the family of Karen, 24, whose body was found on farmland on the north-west outskirts of the city.
The first-year occupational therapy student at Glasgow’s Caledonian University, who moved to Scotland from Cork in February, was reported missing following a night out at the Sanctuary nightclub in Glasgow’s West End on Saturday.
Specialist police divers, a helicopter crew and search dogs were involved in the search, which ended at High Craigton Farm where Karen’s remains were recovered on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old man is due to make a brief appearance at Glasgow sheriff court on Friday.
A Facebook page for the vigil, due to start at 5pm, encouraged attendees to bring flowers and candles. The event has been organised by a former Scottish Socialist politician, Rosie Kane.
More than £50,000 has been raised to support the Buckley family in an online drive organised by former school and university classmates. The campaign, set up to cover the family’s travel and expenses while in Scotland and support the upkeep of their farm in Cork, closed on Thursday after reaching 10 times the initial target of £5,000. Neighbours have taken over the day-to-day running of the family farm.
Former classmates at St Mary’s secondary school in Mallow, Co Cork, described Karen as “lovely, quiet and sporty”. Her family, who travelled to Scotland on Tuesday, released a statement saying they were “absolutely heartbroken”.
Her father, John Buckley, 62, said: “Marion and I, together with our sons Brendan, Kieran and Damian, are absolutely heartbroken,” he said. “Karen was our only daughter, cherished by her family and loved by her friends. She was an outgoing girl who travelled the world, where she met lots of people and thoroughly enjoyed her life. We will miss her terribly.”
