Man charged with Plymouth murder

Paul Butler, 53, will appear in court on Monday

A man has been charged with the murder of a woman who was found seriously injured near the Hoe in Plymouth last Wednesday.

Claire Chick, who was 48, was later declared dead after being taken to hospital.

Paul Butler, aged 53, of Stangray Avenue near Ford Park will appear at Plymouth Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Following her death, Ms Chick's family released a statement in which they said they were "absolutely devastated and broken at the loss of our beautiful caring mother Claire Chick."

They continued: “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 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 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.”