Court orders crossbow killer who murdered 3 women never to be released from prison

LONDON (AP) — A former British soldier who used a crossbow and a knife to murder his ex-girlfriend, her sister and their mother at their family home north of London was sentenced Tuesday to a whole-life order, meaning that he would never be released from prison.

Kyle Clifford, 26, had pleaded guilty in January to murdering Louise Hunt, 25, and her 28-year-old sister Hannah Hunt with a crossbow and their mother, Carol Hunt, 61, with a knife on July 9, 2024. He was convicted of three counts of murder, one of false imprisonment and two counts of possession of offensive weapons.

He was also found guilty of raping Louise during the “carefully planned” attack on the family.

Sentencing Clifford, Justice Joel Bennathan said he was “a jealous man soaked in self-pity — a man who holds women in utter contempt.”

Clifford refused to turn up for the sentencing.

Prosecutors said he planned the murders for days, ordering the crossbow, knife, an air pistol and other items after becoming enraged when an increasingly concerned Louise ended their 18-month relationship.

During the case, the jury was shown evidence that Clifford gained access to the family home in the quiet residential neighborhood of Bushey, northeast of the capital, by deceiving the mother on the pretext he was returning Louise’s belongings, before brutally stabbing her to death.

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Clifford “lay in wait” for an hour for Louise to enter the house, before restraining, raping and ultimately murdering her with a crossbow. He then fatally shot her sister, Hannah, when she returned to the property after work.

Prosecutors said that less than 24 hours before he carried out the attacks, Clifford had searched for the podcast of the self-styled misogynist influencer Andrew Tate. They said the “violent misogyny” promoted by Tate “fueled” Clifford’s attacks.

Following the murders, police launched a manhunt for the suspect before he was found injured the following day in a cemetery in Enfield, north London. Clifford had shot himself in the chest with the crossbow. He remains in a wheelchair, having been paralyzed from the chest downwards.

The three women were the wife and two of the daughters of BBC horse racing commentator John Hunt, who was in court throughout the trial and the verdict, along with his one remaining daughter, 31-year-old Amy.

Reading an emotional statement in court Tuesday, John called Clifford a psychopath who disguised himself as an ordinary human being.

He said Louise had left Clifford after saying “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.”