A 26-year-old man has admitted to the murders of his ex-girlfriend and her sister after fatally shooting them with a crossbow and subsequently stabbing their mother to death in England last summer.
Kyle Clifford bound 25-year-old former partner Louise Hunt’s arms and legs with duct tape before shooting her in the chest with a crossbow bolt at the family residence located in the serene cul-de-sac of Ashlyn Close, Bushey, Hertfordshire, in July.
Carol Hunt, the 61-year-old mother of Ms. Hunt and wife of BBC commentator John Hunt, suffered multiple serious stab wounds to her knee, hands, back, and torso due to an attack by Clifford wielding a butcher’s knife.
Hannah Hunt, aged 28, was discovered in the main entrance of the home with a crossbow bolt embedded in her chest and was still alive when authorities arrived at approximately 7:10 PM on July 9.
Clifford, who served in the military for roughly three years starting in 2019, became the target of a manhunt that lasted several hours before he was located injured in Lavender Hill Cemetery in Enfield, north London, after inflicting a self-inflicted injury to his chest with the crossbow.
During a video link appearance at Cambridge Crown Court, Clifford pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, one count of false imprisonment concerning Louise Hunt, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – the crossbow and the knife.
He pleaded not guilty to a rape charge involving Louise Hunt.
In the aftermath of the attacks, the Home Office indicated that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was urgently evaluating the necessity for stricter crossbow regulations.
Currently, there is no required registration system for crossbow ownership in the UK, no mandatory licensing, and they can be easily purchased online.
Nevertheless, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to buy or possess a crossbow, and carrying one in public without a valid reason may lead to a prison sentence of up to four years.
Mr. Hunt and his third daughter, Amy, released a statement following the tragic event that stated: “The devastation we are experiencing cannot be put into words.”
Clifford, residing on Rendlesham Road in Enfield, north London, is scheduled to face trial for the rape charge at the same court later this year.
