A temporary memorial for a Polish student who was raped and murdered in Sliema just over a year ago has been vandalised. 

Paulina Dembska, 29, was killed in Independence Gardens, Sliema, on January 2 last year. Abner Aquilina, 21, is pleading not guilty to the crime. 

The murder horrified the nation and led to a change of legislation to introduce the concept of femicide in the criminal code. 

Last month, on the anniversary of her murder, a temporary memorial was set up close to the site where she was killed. It included a picture of Paulina and a poem. 

Friends and wellwishers held a Mass at nearby St Gregory’s Parish Church on the anniversary followed by a vigil on the site. 

Pictures uploaded on social media on Tuesday evening showed that the memorial had been vandalised - someone left scratch marks on  Paulina's picture, specifically on her eyes.

Her friend, Agnieszka Gramala, who uploaded the pictures, appealed to artists to collaborate with her to create a more permanent structure for her late friend.

"The response was immediate, for which we are grateful," Gramala told Times of Malta. 

"Together with Daria, Paulina’s sister, we have already started talking to an artist who contacted us herself and showed great empathy and willingness to participate in the initiative. It’s uplifting."

She said she took the picture of the vandalised memorial on Sunday, as she visits the memorial site often.

"It saddens and upsets me. Such behaviour cannot be accepted and ignored," she said.

She said the family and herself had been considering a more permanent memorial and the vandalism led them to act sooner.

Last year, a group of female artists also got together to paint a colourful mural at the entrance of the garden where Paulina was murdered.

The mural celebrating Paulina Dembska.