UK crossbow killer raped ex-girlfriend before murdering her, mother and sister
Kyle Clifford was ‘enraged’ after Louise Hunt ended their 18-month relationship and had ‘carefully planned’ the attack
A former British soldier who had previously pleaded guilty to the murder of three women at their family home just north of London was found guilty Thursday of raping one of them, his ex-partner, during the “carefully planned” attack.
After around 45 minutes of deliberations, the 12-person jury at Cambridge Crown Court unanimously convicted Kyle Clifford of raping his 25-year-old ex-girlfriend Louise Hunt during the attack on the family that involved a crossbow and a 25cm (10-inch) knife.
Clifford, 26, had pleaded guilty in January of murdering Louise and her 28-year-old sister Hannah Hunt with a crossbow and their mother, Carol Hunt, 61, with a knife on July 9, 2024.
The three women were the wife and two of the daughters of BBC horse racing commentator John Hunt, who was in court throughout the four-day trial and the verdict, along with his surviving 31-year-old daughter Amy.
Clifford, who served in the military from 2019 for around three years, was due to be sentenced on Tuesday for the murders and the rape. Under English law, he will automatically get a life sentence for the murders.
The only question left for Judge Joel Bennathan is how long he will have to serve in prison before he may be eligible for parole.