A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a university lecturer in Plymouth earlier this month.
Paul Antony Butler, 53, appeared before Truro Crown Court on Tuesday accused of killing 48-year-old Claire Chick, who worked at the University of Plymouth.
Devon and Cornwall Police were called to reports of a seriously injured woman on West Hoe Road in the city just before 9pm on 22 January.
Ms Chick, who was previously known as Claire Butler, was taken to hospital but died in the early hours of the next day.
Butler, of Stangray Avenue, Plymouth, was arrested around 20 miles away in the Liskeard area, on 24 January.
In a brief court hearing, he spoke only to confirm his name and did not enter any pleas to charges of murder and possession of a bladed article.
Judge Robert Linford, the honorary Recorder of Truro, urged people not to share opinions about the case, particularly on social media over fears it might “prejudice any potential trial”.
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Media reporting of the case should be “measured, accurate and responsible”, he said.
Judge Linford remanded Butler in custody ahead of a further hearing in March and set a provisional trial date of 14 July.
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Jason Beale, who represented Butler during the hearing, did not apply for bail on behalf of his client.
Ms Chick was, her family said in a previous statement, “the most beautiful lively soul” and someone who “was there for everyone” and who “loved to dance and sing”.
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They said they would “never get over this as a family, she was our glue and our go-to”.
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She left behind “five beautiful grandchildren who all refer to her as ‘a favourite grandma’.
“She may be gone but her spirit will always remain alive. We love you mum, and we promise to make you proud.”
