A former doorman has been jailed for existence for the homicide of a school lecturer in Plymouth.
Paul Butler, 53, was once sentenced to a minimal time period of 27 years for killing his estranged spouse Claire Chick after a six-month marketing campaign of stalking and harassment when he refused to just accept their courting was once over.
Ms Chick, 48, was once discovered critically injured on West Hoe Highway simply earlier than 9pm on 22 January. She was once taken to health facility, however died quickly after.
In the past referred to as Claire Butler, Ms Chick labored on the College of Plymouth.
Symbol: Paul Butler has been jailed for homicide. Pic: Devon & Cornwall Police
She died after a frenzied assault out of doors her house. The assault was once the end result of months of harassment, stalking and violence by the hands of Butler.
Devon and Cornwall Police made a referral to the police watchdog because of earlier touch with Ms Chick previous to her dying.
Jo Martin KC, prosecuting, mentioned Ms Chick had made six statements to the police about Butler and he have been arrested 3 times earlier than the assault.
Sufferer’s ultimate commentary to police
In her ultimate commentary to police the day earlier than he killed her out of doors her own residence, she mentioned: “I best really feel that Butler will kill me if additional motion isn’t taken. I’m in worry of leaving my space.”
Butler was once arrested round 20 miles away within the Liskeard house on 24 January.
He was once sentenced on Friday at Plymouth Crown Court docket, having in the past pleaded in charge to homicide, and to at least one price of ownership of a bladed article.
The courtroom heard that once killing Ms Chick, Butler went to McDonald’s for meals and instructed a pal: “I’m lovely positive I’ve ended her.”
After the pass judgement on passed down Butler’s sentence, Devon and Cornwall Police mentioned it had made “instant adjustments” to its stalking and harassment procedures, to take a look at and focal point extra on protective sufferers and concentrated on perpetrators.
Symbol: A courtroom cartoon of Paul Butler at Plymouth Crown Court docket. Pic: PA/Elizabeth Prepare dinner
‘I liked Claire’
The circle of relatives of Ms Chick instructed the courtroom how her homicide left a “massive void” of their lives.
Her eldest daughter, Bethany Hancock-Baxter, described Butler as “evil”.
She mentioned: “I would like this evil guy to hear me. I would like you to grasp what you could have achieved to us as a circle of relatives.”
Her sister, Lydia Friends, mentioned Butler was once a “parasite”.
After her short-lived marriage to Butler, Ms Chick started a courting with every other guy, Paul Maxwell.
Mr Maxwell spoke from the witness field and many times stared on the defendant as he spoke. Butler stared again at him.
“I liked Claire. She was once gorgeous, humorous and sort,” Mr Maxwell mentioned.
The assault
In spite of being on bail and banned from going close to her, 6ft 5in Butler persisted to stalk 5ft 2in Ms Chick, even placing a monitoring tool on her automotive, the courtroom heard.
When he discovered she had begun a brand new courting, he went to her flat and waited for her.
He then attacked her on the street, stabbing her greater than 20 occasions with a big kitchen knife he had purchased from a grocery store that day.
Ahead of fleeing the scene, Butler chased Ms Chick’s new spouse, Mr Maxwell, who had returned from a standard night run and witnessed the assault.
‘She regretted getting married’
Following the top of her first marriage, Ms Chick moved to the similar boulevard as Butler, resulting in them assembly in 2021, the courtroom heard.
They become a pair by means of summer season 2022 and married in June 2024.
On the other hand, the prosecution mentioned Ms Chick had “expressed some doubts” earlier than the marriage, and the honeymoon was once “the top of the connection”.
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Ms Martin mentioned: “They’d an enormous argument. She instructed pals she regretted getting married and the whole thing was once about him.
“On August 23, she instructed him she sought after to reside on my own. He made it transparent he would make her alternate her thoughts.
“He would inform her he liked her, make threats of violence and threaten suicide.
“He additionally expressed emotions of jealousy and idea she was once seeing anyone.”
It was once amid this escalating behaviour that Ms Chick started contacting the police.
