‘Hell will roll out the red carpet for you’: Father’s emotional statement to crossbow killer as he cowers in cell
by Henry Moore · LBCBy Henry Moore
The "screams of hell" are waiting for crossbow killer Kyle Clifford, the father and husband Hannah, Louise and Carol Hunt said ahead of their murderer's sentencing.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Clifford was found guilty last week of raping Louise Hunt during a knife and crossbow attack that killed Louise, her mother Carol and sister Hannah.
Speaking ahead of Clifford's sentencing today, John Hunt held back tears as he told the court he was "proud" of the women in his family.
He said: "When I was first invited to provide a victim impact statement, I initially misunderstood its purpose, do I really need to detail the impact of having three quarters of my family murdered?
"But then I realised that his was my final opportunity to say what I wanted to say, specifically 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.
Read more: Hollyoaks actor and reality TV star Paul Danan's cause of death emerges at inquest
"They knew about the weapons, they knew."
He told Clifford, who cowardly refused to attend the sentencing, that the screams of hell are awaiting him.
"Whatever sentence you're about to receive, whatever misery lies ahead for you in the next 60 years, remain that after your days on earth are done, on your dying day there will be no release for you Kyle," Mr Hunt said, reading his victim impact statement at Cambridge Crown Court.
"The screams of hell, Kyle. I can hear them faintly now.
"They're going to roll the red carpet out for you."
Mr Hunt hailed his daughter's bravery in leaving the "callous" and "vindictive" Clifford.
"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."
Mr Hunt continued: "What about me? The impact of what you have done will be taken to my grave.
"But on the way there, I want you to know that I stand strong before you today as you, Kyle, are consigned to a fate far greater than death.
"I can draw on the love and strength that I still (have) from my girls in every moment of every day."
He added: "Whilst I am badly damaged, I am absolutely determined to see what my future is surrounded by so many amazing people, and the chance to do that, I firmly believe, has been gifted to me by my incredible Hansie (Hannah Hunt).
"I really believe that had she not managed to show such amazing physical and mental strength in raising the alarm after you, Kyle, fatally injured her, that I would have been your fourth victim that day.
"Hannah handed me a second chance, one that she worked so hard to achieve for me."
Mr Hunt's only remaining daughter Amy told the court Clifford "ripped" her family away from them.
"That day, Kyle, you ripped a mother away from her daughters, a wife away from her husband, sisters away from one another, daughters away from their father, much adored friends away from their friends... alongside countless other losses formed from your entirely self-absorbed actions.
"For dad and I, you have callously and coldly taken not one, not two but the three most important people in our lives outside of each other.
"You have destroyed generations that always did, and were set to, enjoy wonderful, peaceful lives together.
"My mother will never see any of her daughters get married.
"Mum and dad will not be able to grow old and enjoy retirement together, my sisters will never be the mothers they dreamed of being or build their own homes, and I will never be an auntie to their children, nor dad a granddad to their children."
She went on: "It is difficult to think of a more devastating reality than the one you have created, Kyle - though I imagine that these facts mean nothing to you.
"You violently took my mother and sisters from me, and you violently killed almost all of my mum and dad's children.
"As a son to a mother, a brother to a sister... I will never understand how you felt and feel nothing about the hideous act - but I suppose that is what separates you from us.
"Kyle, plainly the Hunt family are human and you are not."
The judge didn't permit an order to bring Clifford to court because he is in a wheelchair, paralysed from the chest down.
Ahead of sentencing, Judge Mr Justice Joel Bennathan said: “If he doesn’t have the courage to show up, so be it”.
Mr Justice Bennathan told the court on Tuesday, at the start of Clifford's sentencing hearing, that the defendant was asked to attend the sentencing hearing in person or by video-link but "refused".
Declining to order him to appear, the judge said: "I have declined on the basis that the idea of a man in a wheelchair being put in restraints and potentially disrupting these proceedings... is simply not appropriate or suitable," the judge told Cambridge Crown Court.
Clifford did not appear at the rape trial at any stage – either in person or via a link from prison.
Clifford “turned to poster boy for misogynists” Andrew Tate the night before he murdered his victims, the court heard today.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said one of Louise Hunt's friends had seen the killer "behaving in a rude manner" and had observed him "putting on a video of Andrew Tate".
Ms Morgan said: "It was a video which showed animals who had been drugged.
"She asked the defendant why he was watching this - he said that it was funny."
Following his conviction last week, it was found Clifford had watched Andrew Tate videos on the night before the killings.
Tate, who is facing rape and human trafficking charges, has been credited by many for the stark rise in misogyny amongst many young men, with his content often calling for a return to traditional, conservative values.
Ms Morgan added: "As my Lord correctly noted... Andrew Tate can properly be described as a poster boy for misogynists - a poster boy for those who view women as possessions to be controlled.
Clifford is facing life behind bars.
The 26-year-old previously pleaded guilty to murdering the women and was later convicted of raping Louise in a "violent, sexual act of spite".
Prosecutors previously said Clifford became "enraged" when 25-year-old Louise ended their 18-month relationship - leading him to "carefully" plan the July 9 murders.
Clifford gained access to the family home by deceiving 61-year-old Carol Hunt, the wife of BBC racing commentator John Hunt, before stabbing her to death in a "brutal knife attack".
After killing Mrs Hunt, the defendant then "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 28-year-old Hannah Hunt when she returned to the property in the quiet cul-de-sac of Ashlyn Close in Bushey, Hertfordshire, after work.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC previously told the court the murders were fuelled by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Andrew Tate after it emerged Clifford searched for the controversial social media influencer's less than 24 hours before the attacks.
Clifford, of Enfield, north London, will be sentenced for three counts of murder, one of rape, one of false imprisonment and two counts of possession of an offensive weapon at Cambridge Crown Court on Tuesday.