Stalker ex-husband who stabbed 'beautiful' university lecturer to death after he couldn't accept the relationship was over is jailed for 27 years
A former doorman who murdered his estranged wife after a six-month campaign of stalking when he refused to accept their relationship was over has been jailed.
Paul Antony Butler, 53, stabbed university lecturer Claire Chick, 48, in a frenzied attack outside her home in Plymouth in January this year.
Plymouth Crown Court heard the mother-of-two's murder was the culmination of a months of harassment, stalking and violence at the hands of Butler.
Ms Chick had reported Butler to police six times before her murder.
Judge Robert Linford said the former nightclub doorman and taxi driver had carried out a 'deliberate and frenzied murderous attack'.
He added: 'You did not just hurt and kill Claire you have caused untold misery to her friends and family
'The loss of Claire has left an irreplaceable void in the lives of people. You are responsible for all this suffering and you alone.
'If you are released, and I emphasise if you are released, you will be on licence for the rest of your life.'
The mother's murder was the culmination of a months of harassment, stalking and violence at the hands of Butler. Pictured: With Ms Chick
Paul Antony Butler, 53, admitted murdering Claire Chick, 48, during an incident in Plymouth in January
Claire Chick, 48, a lecturer in adult nursing at Plymouth University, was killed in the West Hoe area in January
Butler, dressed in a blue and white zip-up top over a white t-shirt, wept in the dock at Plymouth Crown Court as statements were read out from her family and new partner Paul Maxwell.
Addressing Butler directly, Claire's eldest daughter Bethany Hancock-Baxter said: 'The anger I have for you is one I have never experienced in my life.
'Even with this anger and immense hate I have for you I couldn't bring myself to do that to anybody.
'All I can do is imagine her being petrified knowing you were going to kill her, the number 23 is all I can think. How can you do that to somebody you claim to love.'
A statement from her father, Alan Butler, was also read to the court. In it he said: 'Claire was kind, caring, bubbly and larger than life.
'She'd asked for the police to help her several times. I thought wrongly that she was safe, it eats away at me that I couldn't protect her.
'She died in horrendous circumstances and I am tortured by the thought of what happened that night.
'You have murdered my daughter, taken our future, broken my heart and you will go straight to hell.'
Lydia Peers, Claire's youngest daughter, said: 'Paul Butler did this to her and he has done this to our family, his selfish mind and cold-blooded hands caused all this pain we feel today and will continue to feel.
Claire pictured with 53-year-old Paul Butler, who murdered her after a six-month stalking campaign
Forensics officers used torches to search the street as they worked late into the night following the discovery of her body
Police erected a police cordon between Great Western Road and West Hoe Road after Ms Chick was found 'seriously injured' in the street
'You didn't love her in the slightest, stabbing her 23 times isn't love, that's murder. You, Paul, are a murderer.
'This is no accident, this is no mistake, you made sure she was gone and never coming back.
'How dare you do this to our family. I will miss her happiness, she was the light that lit up any room she ever went into.
'The pain I am feeling today is the worst kind of pain ever, it is an emptiness and a loss.'
Mr Maxwell glared at Butler as he said: 'I loved Claire, she was beautiful, funny, kind and made the world smile whenever she was around. The loss of Claire has left an irreplicable void in my life.
'The terror from that night that somebody might harm me just as Butler harmed Claire that night is forever overwhelming in my mind.
'No punishment can undo what has been done but I urge the court to consider the devastating impact this had had on my life
Ms Chick, previously known as Claire Butler, had five grandchildren who call her 'favourite grandma', according to a heartbreaking family tribute
Butler is pictured wearing a fancy dress lifeguard costume in a picture taken from social media
'The suffering you inflicted will not be forgotten and neither will the fight for justice, today the voice of the victim Claire Chick will not go unheard.'
Claire met Butler when she moved in next door to him on Stangray Avenue, Plymouth, following the breakdown of her first marriage in 2021.
The couple married in June 2024 but by August the relationship had already broken down and Claire told him she no longer wanted to live with him. The following month she first called the police to report his stalking.
Jealous Butler continued to terrorise Claire including waiting outside her house, peering through her windows and placing a tracker in her car. On November 22 he was arrested for assaulting her by pushing her over, causing bruising.
On December 31 he was arrested again for stalking her and given bail conditions not to approach her. He changed his Facebook name to 'Stangray Strangler', prompting Claire to tell her daughter: 'I wish he would just get on with it and put me out of my misery'.
In a final witness statement to police, she wrote: 'I honestly feel like Butler will kill me if further action isn't taken immediately.'
The court was shown CCTV and dashcam footage of the moment on January 22 when 6ft 5in Butler, wearing a camouflage coat with a hood up, grappled with Claire outside a flat she had rented to escape him before repeatedly driving a knife 10cm into her chest.
Joanna Martin KC, prosecutor, told the court there was 'no chance of survivability' and Claire almost certainly died at the scene.
Court sketch of Paul Butler (left) appearing at Plymouth Magistrates' Court charged with the murder of Claire Chick
People light candles during a vigil in memory of Claire Chick organised by her daughters Bethany and Lydia at Smeaton's Tower lighthouse on Plymouth's Hoe
Earlier in the day Butler had visited nursing lecturer Claire's office in breach of his bail conditions but was chased off by security.
He later bought a set of kitchen knives from Sainsbury's in the city centre before walking to the Hoe area of Plymouth where Claire's flat was located.
After murdering Claire, Butler dumped the jacket and knife nearby and fled, texting a friend 'I'm pretty sure I ended her. I loved her so much.'
He was found the following evening by police having barricaded himself in a hotel room in Liskeard, Cornwall and taken an overdose of painkillers.
Last month Butler -who has historic sex assault convictions - pleaded guilty to murdering Claire and possession of a bladed article.
Adam Vaitilingham, KC, for Butler, said: 'Nothing I say today should be seen by anybody as him in any way trying to minimise his responsibility for what he did on January 22.
'He knows a life sentence is inevitable for the crime he has committed and he will be an old man by the time he is considered for release on licence.
'However misguided it may be, he did believe they would get back together.'
Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Chris Lithgow, Senior Investigating Officer in the case for Devon and Cornwall Police, said Butler 'brutally murdered Claire Chick outside her own home in a violent and cowardly attack.'
He added: 'It is testament to the thorough and comprehensive investigation by detectives from the Major Crime Investigation Team that Butler pleaded guilty to this offence and today he starts a minimum term of 27 years in prison.
'Claire Chick was dearly loved, adored and admired by many and her family have demonstrated enormous courage and dignity.
'I would like to thank and commend Claire’s family who have shown nothing but strength and restrain throughout this difficult process. I hope that the conclusion of the case today will help them heal and move forward, but my thoughts and sympathies remain with them.'
Assistant Chief Constable Glen Mayhew said the force had made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to its previous contact with the victim.
He added: 'We are committed to fully co-operating with an ongoing independent investigation by the IOPC. It would be inappropriate to comment in more detail at this stage to ensure we do not compromise the investigation.
'Having met some of Claire’s family following her tragic death, the Force has conducted an urgent review of all our active stalking investigations.
'This has resulted in immediate changes to our stalking and harassment procedures.
'New policies have been implemented to ensure we provide greater focus on safeguarding victims, targeting perpetrators at the earliest opportunity and encouraging reporting.
'One of our priorities is to ensure we continue to improve how we investigate stalking and harassment, focusing on dealing proactively with dangerous perpetrators and giving greater confidence to victims of this harmful and dangerous crime.'
