A BBC star today told a cowardly crossbow killer “your miserable fate will last for eternity” after his wife and two daughters were murdered.
Kyle Clifford tied up his ex-girlfriend Louise Hunt for more than two hours before raping her in a “sexual act of spite”.
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He also carried out “acts of extreme violence” against the 25-year-old’s mum Carol, 61, and sister Hannah, 28.
The 26-year-old is being sentenced today after he pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, a charge of false imprisonment and two counts of possession of offensive weapons.
Clifford was last week convicted of raping Louise on July 9 – the same day the family were slaughtered at their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire.
The coward refused to attend court in a final insult to the family.
In a harrowing victim impact statement, racing commentator John said he “so wanted to deliver these words eye to eye with Kyle”, who he branded a “psychopath”.
He also told how he “initially misunderstood its purpose” when asked to write a statement.
John added: “Do I really need to detail the impact of having three quarters of my family murdered?
“But then I realised this was my final opportunity to say what I wanted to say to you, Kyle, words that will also be directed to your family, who will carry guilt forwards with them for the rest of their lives.
“They knew about the weapons, they knew.”
The dad said he was “blessed” to be Carol’s husband and Hannah, Louise and surviving daughter Amy’s dad.
He thanked the jury who found Clifford guilty of rape and said they are also victims, like so many, of his “callous cowardly and vindictive behaviours”.
John told Clifford how he “failed” to be the person that Louise needed and that family had tried to make him feel “welcome”.
He broke down as he revealed the funeral room for his wife and two daughters was “not big enough” for three bodies.
John said he placed a picture of his dog Chester in Louise’s right hand as they were “best friends”.
He added: “The impact of what you’ve done to me will be taken to my grave.”
John also praised his daughter Louise, who he called LouLou, for being brave enough to say “enough is enough”.
“I hope women round the world will take Louise’s bravery as a shining beacon for their lives,” he said.
“If you feel enough is enough, then it is.”
Clifford hatched the “carefully planned and executed” plot to attack Louise and her family after she broke up with him.
Chilling CCTV showed how he began gathering items to use in the attack around two weeks before the horror.
The security worker also spent £357 on a crossbow and six bolts and £89 on a “high-level butchering knife” from Amazon.
He then wrote a note to his family saying he did not “want to live my life without her” as he prepared to put the murderous plan into action.
Then on the day of the triple murder, Clifford went to a garden centre with his mum, dad and niece.
He then made his way to a street close to the Hunt home around 30 minutes before the attack to see how many cars were on the drive.
Evil Clifford tricked his way inside after claiming to Carol that wanted to give Louise her belongings back following their break up.
At around 2.40pm, screams and banging sounds were heard as Carol, who was married to BBC racing commentator John Hunt, was “brutally attacked” five times with a knife.
Clifford moved the mum’s body to a snug room and used various blankets to cover her up.
Louise then entered the home through a back door at 4.12pm after working at her dog grooming business in the garden.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said a minute later, a “faint scream/shout” was heard coming from the home.
This was followed by a “high pitch scream” at 4.26pm then banging noises as Louise was “restrained” using tape.
Clifford tied up her wrists and ankles and put gagged his ex, meaning she was “silenced” and left unable to fight back.
Louise was chillingly restrained and gagged for more than two hours, during which time Clifford messaged her dad from her phone asking when he was going to be home.
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At 6.50pm, a loud “whooshing” was heard, which was “the sound of the crossbow being fired to kill Louise Hunt”, the court was told.
Tragically at the same time, Hannah arrived back home and asked her mum “you don’t know how to use your phone?” – unaware both Carol and Louise had been murdered.
She then realised Clifford was inside the home and yelled at him: “Kyle I swear to god…what the f**k Kyle I swear to f***ing god”.
Hannah was also heard screaming “oh my god”, before she asked the killer: “What the f**k is wrong with you, what is wrong with you?”
At 6.52pm, she bravely managed to message her partner to tell him to call the police as Clifford was there and “tying us up”.
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Two minutes later, another “whoosh” was heard, which jurors were told is believed to have been Clifford firing the crossbow at Hannah.
As he fled the home armed with the weapon, she was heard to utter “mum, Louise” before screaming “oh my god, no”.
Clifford was captured on CCTV heading down the driveway with the crossbow hidden under a blanket.
Hannah called 999 at 6.57pm despite her horror injuries to tell officers that Clifford had attacked her, Louise and Carol.
She explained: “My sister’s ex-boyfriend has come in and he shot us.”
When police arrived, they discovered Hannah collapsed in the doorway and Louise bound in the snug next to her mum’s body.
Clifford meanwhile fled to a cemetery in Enfield, North London, close to his home – sparking a manhunt.
How the triple killing unfolded
– June 26 2024
Louise Hunt ends her relationship with Clifford, telling him in a message: “I feel like it’s been broken and I can’t ignore how I’ve been feeling or made to feel in our relationship over the course of the year.”
– June 30
Clifford makes internet searches in relation to crossbows and visits websites where they could be purchased.
The defendant then goes on to access pornography.
– July 1
Clifford accesses the Facebook page of Carol Hunt.
The defendant also has a conversation with his brother about buying a crossbow and conducts searches for air rifles.
– July 3
Clifford purchases a Hori-Zone Kornet MXT-405 compound crossbow, a pack of six crossbow bolts and a rope-cocking device through Tactical Archery.
The defendant also buys a £219 CO2 Glock air pistol from The Air Gun Centre in Essex. It was not delivered before the murders and was recalled by the company when it heard about the attacks.
– July 4
Clifford buys two petrol cans from Halfords and two rolls of duct tape from B&Q.
The defendant searches how to uncock a crossbow and fired a crossbow bolt into a tree.
Louise Hunt makes a note on her phone titled “When you’re sad, look”, which set out how Clifford was “racist”, had “commented he did not like transgender people” and had used “belittling language”.
– July 5
Clifford conducts research about sourcing knives.
– July 6
Clifford receives an update on his purchase of a high-level 10in butchering steel knife worth £89. Packaging for the knife was found at his home address but the knife was never found by police.
– July 9
1.07pm: Clifford leaves his home address armed with a knife and a crossbow.
1.48pm: Clifford searches “horse racing today” on the internet to see if Louise Hunt’s father, BBC commentator John Hunt, was working that day.
2.32pm: Clifford knocks on the door of the Hunt family home with a black rucksack allegedly containing a knife and tells Carol Hunt he wants to return items of property.
2.39pm-2.45pm: Carol Hunt is murdered by Clifford in a “brutal” knife attack, with screams and banging sounds heard coming from the property.
3.10pm: Clifford returns to his car to retrieve the crossbow hidden under a white cloth or blanket.
4.13pm: A faint scream is heard shortly after Louise Hunt enters the family home.
4.13pm-6.50pm: Louise Hunt is restrained with duct tape around her ankles and her wrists and the prosecution allege she is raped by Clifford.
5.37pm-5.43pm: The prosecution allege Clifford checks Louise Hunt’s mobile phone to see who she had been in contact with and what she had been looking at on Instagram.
5.44pm: Clifford tells his sister he was shooting his crossbow at a friend’s house and that it was not “illegal” after she asked why he had taken it out.
5.52pm: Clifford messages John Hunt from Louise Hunt’s phone, asking: “What time are you home?”
5.57pm: Clifford searches “if I unplug my smoke detector will it go off”, with the prosecution saying he had contemplated the use of fire to destroy evidence.
6.50pm: Louise Hunt is murdered with a crossbow shortly before Hannah Hunt arrives at the property.
6.51pm: Hannah Hunt realises Clifford is at the address and shouts “What is wrong with you?”, with high-pitched squealing and screaming heard coming from the property.
6.52pm: Hannah Hunt messages her partner: “Call police leggy. Immediately. To mine. Now. Kyle here. POLCOE (sic) NOW. HE’S TYING US UP.”
6.54pm: Hannah Hunt is shot with a crossbow.
6.55pm: Clifford walks away from the property with the crossbow hidden under the sheet and the black rucksack.
6.57pm: Female heard in the property screaming “Oh my God, no” as Hannah Hunt realises her sister and mother have been attacked.
6.58pm: Hannah Hunt uses Carol Hunt’s phone to dial 999 and identifies Clifford as the attacker to the call handler.
7.10pm: Emergency services attend the Hunt family home – Carol and Louise Hunt are found dead and unsuccessful resuscitation attempts are made on Hannah Hunt.
As officers eventually tracked him day the following day, the killer shot himself with the crossbow in a suicide bid.
Clifford, who served in the Queen‘s Dragoon Guards, was left paralysed from the waist down and now uses a wheelchair due to his injuries.
In his first police interview last September, he told officers “sorry” and said “what I have done is atrocious”.
The court was told Louise’s friends and family had grown concerned over her relationship with Clifford before the triple murder.
One friend said the dog groomer had confided in her about his “nasty temper” and revealed he had “behaved in an aggressive manner”.
The couple had gone to a wedding around two weeks before the attack that became a “catalyst” for the break up.
He had secret relationships with two other women behind Louise’s back – including one still ongoing at the time of the horror.
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Police also revealed how Clifford’s interest in Andrew Tate was one of the key reasons why Louise ended her relationship with him.
Louise was upset when he laughed as he played a video in front of her and friends showing Tate harming an animal.
Cops found a number of videos from Tate on Clifford’s phone following the attack.
The monster, who had watched some clips in the hours before the murder, was likely “fuelled” by the “violent misogyny promoted” by the toxic influencer, police said.
The court heard that Louise broke up with him on June 24 – two weeks before the attack.
In the days that followed, the killer bombarded her with messages that were “rebuffed” by Louise.
She also compiled a list on her phone named “when you’re sad, Look!” that detailed all the reasons they broke up.
These included Clifford’s brother being in prison, “racist comments” he had made and that he “doesn’t like transgenders”, it was said.
How you can get help
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Jurors were told it was “not in dispute” that Clifford murdered Carol and her daughters or that he was in possession of a knife and crossbow.
Ms Morgan said the only count they must come to a verdict on was the rape charge against Louise.
She explained Clifford’s DNA had been found but he claimed the last time they had sex was June 23.
Ms Morgan continued: “During the course of this prolonged incident, the prosecution alleges that the defendant raped Louise Hunt.
“It was a violent, sexual act of spite, before he then killed her. You will have to determine that allegation against him.”
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