The Independent Office for Police Conduct has confirmed that eighteen members of Devon and Cornwall Police, including officers, staff, and a retired officer, have been formally served with misconduct and gross misconduct notices. This significant development forms a crucial part of their ongoing investigation into the tragic murder of university lecturer Claire Chick.
Fatal Stabbing After Repeated Police Contact
Claire Chick, a 48-year-old lecturer and nurse, was stabbed to death in Plymouth on January 22, 2025, by her abusive ex-husband, Paul Butler. This horrific attack occurred mere hours after she had desperately begged police to arrest him, highlighting a catastrophic failure in protective measures.
A nationwide manhunt was launched immediately after Butler fled the scene. He was subsequently located approximately twenty miles away from the crime location. At Plymouth Crown Court on March 18, 2025, Butler pleaded guilty to Ms Chick's murder and an additional charge of possessing a bladed article. The court sentenced him to a minimum of twenty-seven years imprisonment.
Systemic Investigation into Police Actions
Following her death, it emerged that Ms Chick had been in contact with Devon and Cornwall Police on multiple occasions regarding Butler's threatening and erratic behaviour. The force promptly referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct to scrutinise their prior interactions with Ms Chick and to examine whether all relevant policies and procedures were correctly followed.
As a direct result of the IOPC's detailed inquiries, fifteen serving police officers, two police staff members, and one former officer have now been served with formal notices. These individuals were involved in logging information, conducting risk assessments, and making safeguarding decisions concerning Ms Chick from September 2024 until just before her murder.
In an official statement, the IOPC expressed: 'Our thoughts and sympathies continue to be with Claire Chick's family and friends for their devastating loss. Our investigation into the contact Ms Chick had with Devon and Cornwall Police, prior to her murder in January 2025, continues to make progress. Investigators are looking at the actions and decisions taken by Devon and Cornwall Police and examining whether relevant policies and procedures were followed.'
The watchdog emphasised that serving such notices does not automatically mean disciplinary proceedings will follow, and the situation will remain under continuous review as the investigation progresses.
A Pattern of Pleas for Help Ignored
Ms Chick and Butler initially became neighbours in 2021 before marrying in June 2024. The mother-of-two first approached Devon and Cornwall Police on September 19, 2024, expressing serious concerns about Butler's increasingly erratic and threatening behaviour. At this time, Butler had travelled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but wrote to Ms Chick demanding half of their house and half of her pension.
On September 26, Ms Chick provided her first of six formal statements to police, detailing her escalating fears. Her subsequent statements followed on October 14 and October 16. In her third statement, she described feeling 'stupid and embarrassed' by the situation, revealing it was severely affecting her work, causing her to avoid going out, and leading friends to comment that she was struggling to cope.
Tragically, she was found with serious injuries on West Hoe Road, Plymouth, on the evening of January 22, 2025, and later died in hospital. In total, Ms Chick reported Butler to Devon and Cornwall Police on six separate occasions before her murder.
Family and Friends Condemn Institutional Failure
In a powerful statement following her death, Ms Chick's family delivered a scathing critique of the authorities' handling of her case: '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. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for her. When she needed security and begged for help to protect her she was failed by local authorities. Our mum wrote and spoke out to say in the event of her death she wanted people to know she was let down and we will do whatever we can to make sure her legacy and her strong will gets seen from us, her two daughters.'
Jo Taylor, a close friend of Ms Chick, accused the force of 'doing nothing' to assist her. She revealed to the Daily Mail that Ms Chick regularly alerted police about the 'evil' Butler, who stalked and attacked her, including on the very morning of her murder.
Ms Taylor stated: 'He hounded her, he climbed in her car when she was driving, he tried to break into her house so she had to get cameras fitted. She reported everything to the police but they did nothing, they would ring him and speak to him but that was it. The day he murdered her she had been called in to the police that morning and they just did nothing, they spoke to him and let him go.'
She added that Ms Chick had moved to a secret address to escape Butler, but he somehow discovered her location, potentially through a phone tracker. 'Nobody would believe how bad it was, the police didn't accept it wasn't just another domestic, but he was evil. The police did not listen, she called them almost every week from when they separated in September telling them what he was doing. Nobody protected Claire.'
Police Force Responds to Ongoing Scrutiny
Devon and Cornwall Police Assistant Chief Constable Glen Mayhew stated that the force 'continues to fully co-operate' with the IOPC's independent investigation. He said: 'My thoughts and condolences remain with the family and friends of Claire Chick. We acknowledge that the IOPC has served a number of officers and a police staff member with notices informing them they are under investigation for potential misconduct or gross misconduct. Such notices advise individuals that their conduct is subject to investigation, but it does not mean that disciplinary proceedings will necessarily follow. The Force is supporting all officers and staff through this process.'
This case has raised profound questions about police responses to domestic violence reports and the effectiveness of safeguarding procedures for vulnerable individuals facing persistent threats.
