Kyle Clifford, a former soldier, confessed to murdering Louise Hunt (25), her sister Hannah (28), and their mother Carol (61) in a brutal attack using a crossbow and a knife at their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, in July last year. After a manhunt, he was found with self-inflicted injuries and later admitted to three counts of murder, while denying charges of rape against Louise. The horrific incident, marked by piercing screams and desperate 999 calls, drew nationwide attention and highlighted discussions on crossbow regulation. Clifford is set to face trial for the rape charge later this year.
A former soldier who murdered BBC star John Hunt’s wife and two daughters after breaking into his home today dramatically admitted the murders, but denied raping his ex-girlfriend before she died. .
Kyle Clifford killed his ex-partner Louise Hunt, 25, and her sister Hannah, 28, with a crossbow at their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, in July last year, before killing his wife Carol, a race commentator. (61 years old) was stabbed to death.
Clifford, 26, was arrested at a cemetery in north London after an almost 24-hour manhunt, but was not available for questioning while he was treated for self-inflicted crossbow injuries.
The former security guard appeared at Cambridge Crown Court today and changed his plea, admitting murdering three women in a sickening rampage. He denies one charge of rape and is scheduled to stand trial on that charge later this year.
The quiet summer night of July 9 last year was punctuated by unimaginable horror when police were called to the family home in Ashlyn Close, Bushey, after neighbors reported hearing piercing screams. It became the scene.
Hannah also made a harrowing 999 call, telling police she feared her sister and mother would be attacked and killed.
When police stormed the property, Hannah was still alive in the doorway with a crossbow bolt lodged in her chest, but despite frantic efforts they were unable to rescue her.
Clifford, who served in the military for about three years starting in 2019, bound his ex-girlfriend Louise’s arms and ankles with duct tape and then shot her in the chest with a crossbow.
Clifford attacked his mother, Carol, with a 10-inch butcher knife, stabbing her in the knees, hands, back and torso.
Photo of Kyle Clifford, charged with murder, released by Hertfordshire Police.
John Hunt is pictured with his wife Carol, who was killed along with two of their two daughters.
Hannah Hunt was killed along with her mother and sister in a crossbow attack in Bushey.
Louise Hunt (pictured), sister of Hannah Hunt and daughter of Carol Hunt and John Hunt, was murdered.
Clifford, who appeared at Cambridge Crown Court via video link this morning, pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, one count of false imprisonment of Louise Hunt and two counts of possession of an offensive weapon (a crossbow and a knife).
He pleaded not guilty to the charge of raping Louise. Clifford, of Enfield, north London, is due to stand trial for rape at the same court on March 3.
Seven years after his brother was jailed for life with a minimum of 23 years for murder, Clifford will join him in prison after admitting killing Carol, Hannah and Louise inside their home. It became.
The gory details of the attack, which occurred at around 6:30pm on July 9 last year, began to emerge in the days that followed.
Neighbors of the £800,000 home in a quiet suburban cul-de-sac recalled hearing such harrowing screams that they were initially mistaken for the cries of a child.
It later emerged that desperate cries for help were coming from the house where three defenseless women had been ambushed in their own home by a crossbow-wielding killer.
After brutally attacking his victim and leaving him for dead, the ex-soldier went on the run, sparking a nationwide manhunt to track him down.
Clifford was captured on doorbell video shortly after leaving the property, leaving his mother and two daughters behind. He hid what looked like a crossbow under his arm, which was hidden under a white sheet, and quietly strode away.
Hertfordshire Police took the unusual step of announcing Clifford’s name and releasing his photograph in a desperate bid to track down Britain’s most wanted man at the time.
The evil killer was found with self-inflicted wounds at Lavender Hill Cemetery in Enfield and was arrested about 24 hours later.
Dramatic footage showed the fugitive leaving the scene on a stretcher and being loaded into the back of an ambulance by armed police and paramedics.
After the attack, a photo was released of Clifford in military uniform, holding a gun and his face covered in camouflage paint.
Courtroom painter’s sketch of Kyle Clifford, who appeared via video link at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on September 17
Mr Hunt, a horse racing commentator who has another daughter, Amy, bravely returned to work 60 days after the tragic incident.
At the time of the deadly attack, he said in a joint statement with Amy: “Words cannot describe the devastation we are experiencing.”
In a further statement read out by colleague Matt Chapman at Sky Sports Racing, Mr Hunt said: “Despite the terrible evil that has swept our lives and wreaked havoc on an unimaginable scale, the antidote to it has been breathtaking messages of support and messages from some… ” Some of them have not been read yet.
She added: “My eldest daughter, Amy, has been a great inspiration to me by keeping me in control and supporting me. I try very hard to replicate that.”
“Each message felt so important and felt like a reassuring hug.
“I know people are worried about us. We will get through this.”
Mr Clifford joined the Army in 2019, but is thought to have left after a short stint in 2022 after failing to impress his superiors. Clifford is believed to have served as a trooper, equivalent to a private, in the Queen’s Dragoon Guard.
After the attack, a photo was also released showing him in military uniform, holding a gun and with camouflage paint on his face.
His guilty plea came seven years after his brother was found guilty of murder following a trial at the Old Bailey.
Plumber Bradley Clifford was 23 years old when he killed Soban Khan, 18, and Jashua Francis, 19, who were riding a moped, in his “precious” Ford Mustang. He hit it with a bottle and then mowed it down.
The two teenagers were thrown from the moped by the impact. Francis escaped with serious injuries, but Bradley punched Khan, who was lying injured on the ground.
The incident occurred after an altercation outside a bar in Enfield, which left Clifford’s car with superficial damage. He became enraged and chased the two on a 20-minute high-speed chase, crashing into a moped.
Mr Bradley was sentenced to life in prison in 2018 for Mr Khan’s murder and the attempted GBH against Mr Francis, and was sentenced to at least 23 years in prison.
This was the moment Clifford was seen being treated on a stretcher in a north London cemetery.
Doorbell footage showed a man believed to be Kyle Clifford leaving the home where the bodies of his ex-girlfriend, mother and sister were found.
Forensic scientist spotted outside Lavender Hill Cemetery in Enfield as search continues for Kyle Clifford
Armed police search Enfield’s Lavender Hill Cemetery as search for fugitive Kyle Clifford takes on new phase
Friends leave flowers at Ashlyn Close, Bushey, Hertfordshire, after the July 11 attack.
Mourners attend a service at St James’s Church in Bushey on July 11th after the incident.
A view of the scene on July 11 at Ashlyn Close, Bushey, where the Hunt family lived.
Following Mr Clifford’s attack on Mr Hunt’s family, the Home Office said Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, was urgently considering whether stricter crossbow regulations were needed.
In the King’s speech, delivered just days after the killing, there was no proposal to take action against crossbows.
It is understood that consideration is ongoing and no decision has yet been made.
The previous government was considering introducing firearm licensing rules after the attempted murder of the late Queen with a crossbow.
Currently, there is no registration system or licensing requirements to own a crossbow, and it appears to be easy to purchase online.
However, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to purchase or possess a crossbow, and those found carrying a crossbow in public without a valid excuse can be sentenced to up to four years in prison.
