Man, 53, charged with murder of university lecturer in Plymouth

Paul Butler, 53, of Stangray Avenue, has been charged with the murder of Claire Chick, 48.

Forensic officers at the scene in Plymouth (Rod Minchin/PA)

A 53-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a university lecturer in Plymouth.

Officers were called to West Hoe Road, Plymouth, at 8.55pm on Wednesday after reports that a woman had been seriously injured.

Claire Chick, 48, was taken to hospital but died in the early hours of the next day.

Paul Butler, of Stangray Avenue, Plymouth, has been charged with murder and is due to appear before Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on Monday, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

Butler was located and arrested in the Liskeard area of Cornwall, which is around 20 miles from Plymouth, on Thursday.

Claire Chick, 48, was found seriously injured in a Plymouth street on Wednesday evening and died later in hospital (Family handout/PA)

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.”

Ms Chick, who was previously known as Claire Butler, worked as a lecturer at the University of Plymouth.

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.”