Officers given misconduct notices after woman, who warned police about her estranged husband, stabbed to death
More than a dozen officers have been served with misconduct notices over contact a police force had with a woman before she was murdered by her estranged husband.
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Paul Antony Butler, 54, stabbed university lecturer Claire Chick, 48, in a frenzied attack outside her home in Plymouth in January last year.
Plymouth Crown Court heard the murder of the mother-of-two was the culmination of months of harassment, stalking and violence at the hands of Butler.
On the day before she died, Ms Chick told Devon and Cornwall Police she feared he would kill her if action was not taken.
An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into Ms Chick's previous contact with the force has resulted in several misconduct and gross misconduct notices being issued.
These include 15 police officers, two police staff members and one former officer, who were involved in logging information, risk assessments and safeguarding decisions made about Ms Chick from September 2024 until just before her death.
An IOPC spokesman said: "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 serving of such notices does not necessarily mean that disciplinary proceedings will follow and will be kept under review as our work continues."
'I am in fear'
Last year, Plymouth Crown Court heard Ms Chick had made six statements to the police about the defendant's conduct and he had been arrested three times for assault, harassment and stalking.
In her final statement the day before she was killed, Ms Chick told officers: "I only feel that Butler will kill me if further action is not taken. I am in fear of leaving my house."
When he learned she had formed a new relationship, he went to her flat wearing a camouflaged hooded top and waited for her to come out of the building.
He then attacked her in the street, stabbing her more than 20 times with a large kitchen knife he had bought hours earlier from a supermarket.
Ms Chick was taken to Derriford Hospital but declared dead an hour after the attack.
Butler was jailed for a minimum term of 27 years.
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Assistant Chief Constable Glen Mayhew, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said: "My thoughts and condolences remain with the family and friends of Claire Chick.
"The force continues to fully co-operate with the Independent Office for Police Conduct's ongoing independent investigation into our previous contact with Claire.
"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."