Man, 53, charged with murder of Plymouth university lecturer
26 January 2025, 13:06 | Updated: 26 January 2025, 13:16
A 53-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a university lecturer in Plymouth.
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Paul Butler, of Stangray Avenue, Plymouth, was arrested in the Liskeard area of Cornwall, around 20 miles from Plymouth, on Thursday.
He has now been charged with the murder of Claire Chick, who was previously known as Claire Butler, and is due to appear before Plymouth Magistrates' Court on Monday, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
Chick, 48, was fatally wounded at a property on West Hoe Road, Plymouth on Wednesday night.
The lecturer at the University of Plymouth was taken to hospital but died in the early hours of the next day.
Detective Inspector Rob Smith said: "We have specialist officers in place to continue to provide support to Claire's family.
"Our investigation is ongoing, and I would like to thank the local community for their support whilst we have carried out our enquiries over the past few days."
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In a previous statement released by police, her family said: "We are absolutely devastated and broken at the loss of our beautiful caring mother Claire Chick.
"She was the most beautiful lively soul and was there for everyone.
"Everyone who knew our mum had so much positive words to say about her. She was the life and soul of any place where she was.
"She loved to dance and sing, even though she was pretty bad at it; she had no shame in doing it in front of any audience.
"We will never get over this as a family, she was our glue and our go-to. We won't ever get the justice our mum deserves for this, because no amount of justice will bring her back.
"We want to thank everyone for their kind words, and we invite anyone who knew her to share their memories of her.
"We also would like to remind the public she leaves behind five beautiful grandchildren who all refer to her as 'a favourite grandma'.
"We ask you to respect their privacy, and everyone remains respectful to them.
"She may be gone but her spirit will always remain alive. We love you mum, and we promise to make you proud."
