Triple murderer Kyle Clifford felt sorry but only for himself, says detective
Clifford fatally shot his ex-girlfriend and her sister with a crossbow and stabbed their mother to death.
Triple murderer Kyle Clifford, who fatally shot his ex-girlfriend and her sister with a crossbow and stabbed their mother to death, felt sorry only for himself afterwards, a detective said.
The 26-year-old stabbed to death his former partner’s mother, Carol Hunt, 61, the wife of BBC and Sky Sports Racing commentator John Hunt, with a knife he had concealed in a rucksack.
He had appeared to have a calm conversation with Mrs Hunt on her doorstep after calling at the Hunts’ home before asking to come in.
Clifford used a “false pretence to enter the home, saying he wanted to return some of Louise’s (Hunt) possessions”, said Detective Chief Inspector Nick Gardner.
The officer, of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said Clifford “also asks Carol if John is at home. Once inside he attacks Carol”.
Clifford then collected a crossbow from under a blanket in his car and waited in the house for his former partner Louise Hunt, 25, who was inside a pod in the garden where she ran a dog grooming business.
When she came into the house he restrained and raped her before shooting her with a crossbow bolt at the family home in the quiet cul-de-sac of Ashlyn Close in Bushey, Hertfordshire, on July 9 last year.
Clifford also fatally shot her sister, Hannah Hunt, 28, when she returned home from work.
She managed to make a 999 call while injured, and Clifford was arrested 20 hours later at Lavender Hill Cemetery in Enfield, north London, following a manhunt.
Mr Gardner said Clifford’s military background was known early in the investigation and “formed part of the risk assessment in terms of how he would be approached, his knowledge of weapons systems and combat ultimately”.
Clifford shot himself in the chest with his crossbow as officers approached him as he hid in undergrowth and he is now “paralysed from the chest down”, Chief Superintendent Jon Simpson said.
“If this was an attempt to end his own life he left it to the last possible opportunity and meant that the officers that approached him were exposed to a huge amount of risk,” he said.
“Despite this, in the moments following his detention they worked to save his life.”
He required a 24-hour-a-day police guard “throughout his extensive hospital stay” of 10 weeks, Mr Simpson said.
Mr Gardner, who was the senior investigating officer in the case, said that when Clifford was eventually able to be interviewed “he answered no comment to all questions, only showing emotion at the point where questions were about himself”.
Asked how Clifford came across in interview, Mr Gardner said: “Self-pitying, unable to recognise the impact on the victims and others, very much only feeling sorry for himself and no-one else.”
He said Hannah Hunt’s 999 call, after she had been shot with a crossbow, gave Clifford’s name from the outset.
“The significant part of that call is that Hannah named Kyle Clifford from the outset which was an incredibly brave thing for her to do and she got across a lot of key details in that phone call,” said Mr Gardner.
“That allowed us to make some decisions early on in the investigation around declaring Kyle Clifford as a suspect.”
Clifford admitted at Cambridge Crown Court to three counts of murder, one of false imprisonment against Louise Hunt, and two counts of possession of offensive weapons – the crossbow and the knife.
He was found guilty of the rape of Louise Hunt following a trial at the same court.
Explaining why prosecutors decided to pursue the count of rape at trial, Mr Gardner said the evidence was “substantial” and “it ultimately goes to the full gravity of his offending”.
Mr Gardner described the case as “unprecedented”.
“There were no warning signals, there was nothing Louise could have done to avoid what happened,” he said.
“She was entirely blameless in relation to this.
“She took the necessary steps to end a relationship that she wasn’t happy with.
“It’s entirely on Kyle Clifford and his inability to deal with that.
“I hope he’s sentenced accordingly.”
Mr Gardner said it was “clear from evidence given by Louise’s friends that in June last year she was no longer happy in her relationship with Clifford”.
“She had made comments about his behaviour, however, there was nothing to indicate any kind of violence or abuse,” he said.
He said Clifford “was a former soldier who left the army without seeing active service – he was unemployed at the time of the murders”.
“Throughout the course of the investigation Clifford has not explained his reasons and motivations for his actions or acknowledged the great pain and loss he has inflicted on others,” he said.
“He did leave a series of notes on his phone before the murders that gave an indication of his mindset.
“He clearly knew there were healthy ways of dealing with a break-up, however, he chose not to take those paths.
“He simply – quote – ‘didn’t want to do that’.”
Mr Gardner said he is “sure that had he not had access to a knife or crossbow he would have found other means of inflicting harm on Louise and her family”.
“There was no history of abuse that we are aware of in this case,” he said.
“Clifford’s behaviour appears to have escalated at an unprecedented rate following the break-up of the relationship.
“Clifford is clearly a dangerous man and a threat to the safety of others.”
He paid tribute to the “bravery” of the Hunt family who he said have been “absolutely exceptional with us and worked with us throughout the entirety of this investigation”.
