Man admits killing his ex, her sister and her mother in crossbow attack

A 26-year-old man who fatally shot his ex-girlfriend and her sister with a crossbow before stabbing their mother to death has pleaded guilty to their murders. Kyle Clifford tied 25-year-old former partner Louise Hunt’s arms and ankles with duct tape and shot her through the chest with a crossbow bolt at the family home in the quiet cul-de-sac of Ashlyn Close in Bushey, Hertfordshire, in July.

Ms Hunt’s 61-year-old mother Carol Hunt, the wife of BBC commentator John Hunt, sustained significant stab wounds to her knee, hands, back and torso following the attack by Clifford with a 10in butcher’s knife. Hannah Hunt, 28, was found in the main doorway of the house with a crossbow bolt to the chest and was still alive when police arrived at the property at around 7.10pm on July 9.

Police had been called by Hannah Hunt, who told officers she feared she was going to die as she had been shot and her sister and mother had also been attacked. Clifford, who served in the military from 2019 for around three years, became the subject of a manhunt for a number of hours before he was found injured in Lavender Hill Cemetery in Enfield, north London, after shooting himself in the chest with the crossbow.

Appearing via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday, Clifford pleaded guilty 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 pleaded not guilty to a charge of raping Louise Hunt.Following the attacks, the Home Office said Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was urgently considering whether tougher crossbow laws were needed.

In the King’s Speech, which took place just days after the killings, there was no proposal to take action on crossbows. The PA news agency understands the review is ongoing and no decisions have yet been made.The previous government looked at bringing in firearms licensing-style rules in the wake of an attempt to kill the late Queen with a crossbow.

There is currently no registration system for owning a crossbow, no requirement for a licence and they appear to be readily available to buy online. But it is illegal for anyone under 18 to buy or own one, with anyone carrying a crossbow in public without a reasonable excuse facing up to four years behind bars.

Mr Hunt and his third daughter Amy previously issued a statement following the incident, which said: “The devastation we are experiencing cannot be put into words.”

Clifford, of Rendlesham Road, Enfield, north London, will face a trial for the charge of rape at the same court later this year.