Tributes to woman who died after Plymouth attack

Tributes have been paid to a woman who died following a serious assault in Plymouth.

48-year-old Claire Chick was pronounced dead in the early hours of Thursday having been taken to hospital after she was found seriously injured on West Hoe Road, just before 21:00 GMT on Wednesday.

Her family paid tribute, describing her as an "energetic and beautiful soul, someone who cared for everyone".

Devon and Cornwall Police arrested Paul Antony Butler, 53, on suspicion of murder on Thursday.

The family said: "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.

"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."

The family thanked people for their "kind words" and invited anyone who knew Ms Chick to share their memories of her.

They added: "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."

A large police cordon was set up in the area after the incident and extensive searches were carried out on Thursday, with dozens of officers involved.

On Friday, the cordon was lifted and officers were deployed to Marsh Mills, which the force confirmed was "part of ongoing inquiries into the Plymouth murder investigation".

Ms Chick, 48, was a lecturer at the University of Plymouth - hundreds of comments have flooded social media from her students, both past and present.

The university's vice-chancellor, Prof Richard Davies, said: "We have been shocked and saddened by the death of a much-loved member of our university community.

He said: "Having spoken with Claire's colleagues, I know that her contribution to Plymouth was significant and deeply felt – she was a respected nurse, lecturer, and personal tutor, ensuring students were supported academically and pastorally."

Prof Davies added: "As associate head of school for international in our school of nursing and midwifery she was closely involved in developing nursing programmes, students and academics in Europe, Africa and Asia.

"As a colleague, Claire's humour and warmth will be dearly missed by academic and support staff.

"Our thoughts are with Claire's family and friends at this impossibly difficult time."

Senior investigating officer Det Insp Rob Smith said: "We continue to support Claire's family at what is an extremely awful time for them.

"I would ask for their privacy to be respected and to allow them the space to grieve."

Mr Smith asked people not to speculate on the incident, and said anyone who may have relevant information not yet shared with police could use the force's Major Incident Public Portal.

"Once again, we would like to thank the local community for their support throughout this incident. This has been an incredibly tough and understandably concerning time for the city", he added.

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