A former doorman has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a university lecturer in Plymouth, following a prolonged campaign of stalking and harassment.
Paul Butler, 53, must serve a minimum of 27 years for killing his estranged wife, Claire Chick, 48, who worked at the University of Plymouth.
The court heard that Butler refused to accept the end of their relationship, embarking on a six-month campaign of intimidation which tragically culminated in her death.
Ms Chick was discovered with severe injuries on West Hoe Road shortly before 9 pm on 22 January. Despite being rushed to the hospital, she sadly died shortly afterwards.
Butler carried out a frenzied knife attack outside Ms Chick’s home, stabbing her more than 20 times with a kitchen knife he had purchased earlier that day.
After the murder, Butler fled the scene, stopped at a McDonald’s for food, and later told a friend: “I am pretty certain I have ended her.”
Devon and Cornwall Police have referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following revelations that Ms Chick had made six separate statements to officers about Butler’s behaviour.
He had been arrested three times prior to the fatal attack, and in her final statement — given just a day before her death — Ms Chick warned: “I only feel that Butler will kill me if further action is not taken. I am in fear of leaving my house.”
Butler was eventually arrested two days after the murder, around 20 miles away in the Liskeard area. He later pleaded guilty to murder and possession of a bladed article.
During sentencing at Plymouth Crown Court, Judge Robert Linford condemned Butler’s actions, and the police force confirmed it had implemented “immediate changes” to its handling of stalking and harassment cases to better protect victims.
The emotional impact of the murder was laid bare by Ms Chick’s family. Her eldest daughter, Bethany Hancock-Baxter, branded Butler “evil” in a moving victim impact statement, while her sister Lydia Peers described him as a “parasite.”
Ms Chick had moved on from her short-lived marriage and was in a new relationship with Paul Maxwell at the time of her death.
Maxwell, who witnessed the attack after returning from an evening run, described Ms Chick as “beautiful, funny, and kind.”
Despite being on bail and under strict conditions not to contact Ms Chick, Butler continued to stalk her relentlessly. The court was told he even fitted a tracking device to her car to monitor her movements.
The pair had met in 2021 after Ms Chick moved to the same street as Butler. They married in June 2024, but the prosecution revealed she had expressed doubts about the marriage, and the relationship effectively ended during the honeymoon.
