Man, 53, charged with murder of university lecturer in Plymouth
Nursing lecturer Claire Chick, 48, was described by her family as ‘the most beautiful lively soul’
A 53-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a university lecturer in Plymouth whose family have paid tribute to her as “the most beautiful lively soul”.
Police were called to West Hoe Road in Plymouth at 8.55pm on Wednesday after reports a woman had been seriously injured.
Claire Chick, aged 48, was taken to hospital but died in the early hours of the next day, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
Paul Butler, of Stangray Avenue in Plymouth, has been charged with murder and is due to appear before Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
Butler was arrested on Thursday in the Liskeard area of Cornwall, which is around 20 miles from Plymouth.
Ms Chick, who was previously known as Claire Butler, worked as a lecturer at the University of Plymouth, where she was closely involved in developing nursing programmes in Europe, Africa and Asia, her colleagues said.
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.”
Detective inspector Rob Smith of Devon and Cornwall Police said on Sunday that specialist officers are in place to continue to provide support to Claire’s family.
He added: “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’s friends and colleagues have shared their shock, with a close friend telling The Independent: “Claire was my neighbour. I’m still in shock. She was a beautiful woman. She was a stunning woman and such a lovely person and so easy to talk to – it’s really, really sad.”
Another friend said: “I can’t get my head around it. She was kind, clever sassy, warm and so funny. She was beautiful inside and out and adored her grandchildren and two beautiful daughters who were her best friends.”