Claire Butler was allegedly killed in the street in the West Hoe area of Plymouth on Wednesday night, sparking a major police search which led to the arrest of Paul Butler
A university lecturer who was allegedly murdered in the street has been pictured for the first time as tributes have poured in.
Friends described Claire Butler, 48, as “a lovely woman” as the community in West Hoe, Plymouth, struggled to come to terms with the tragedy. When Claire, a lecturer in adult nursing at University of Plymouth, was fatally injured on a residential street in West Hoe, Devon and Cornwall Police launched a huge manhunt for their male suspect.
Paul Butler was eventually named and pictured as the force strengthened their search for the 53-year-old man. And following news of Claire’s death, shocked neighbours in West Hoe expressed their sorrow. One said: “It’s a huge shock, we only chatted to her a couple of days ago.
“She was lovely, she moved in a couple of years ago and worked at the university, she was undertaking a PHD and lecturing in nursing. Police raided the house around 10pm last night – they just told us to stay indoors.” Butler was eventually arrested on suspicion of murder on Thursday. During a press conference, Chief Inspector of Local Policing Tom Cunningham, of Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, declined to say whether Butler was known to the police.
Speaking to the Mail Online after the conference, the neighbour continued: “She’d been away recently on business and when she came back she decided she didn’t want to live here while she was down the road so she got an apartment in West Hoe. She’d only just moved her stuff in last week. She has a son and a daughter.” Prior to the arrest, police reassured the community that this was “an isolated incident and there is no immediate threat to the wider public”. It took them several hours, though, to trace Butler before snagging the man more than 20 miles away in Liskeard, Cornwall.
Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed it had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to previous contact with the victim, who officers said died in hospital on Wednesday. Evidence markers were seen on the pavement at the scene, which remained cordoned off on Thursday morning.
One local said: “The scene is not looking very good…. When I arrived on the scene, the incident was in its early stages and armed police had been deployed. Then 15 minutes later a police area response team had arrived.” Speaking before his force made an arrest, Detective Inspector Rob Smith said “a major response was underway” as they appealed for information in connection to what at first was described as “a serious assault” on the residential street. Claire has a staff profile on University of Plymouth’s website, which states she is a lecturer in adult nursing at the institution’s School of Nursing and Midwifery. The Mirror has contacted the university for comment.
