Triple killer Kyle Clifford guilty of raping ex-partner Louise Hunt before murdering her with crossbow – UK Times

A man has been found guilty of raping his ex-partner before murdering her and her sister with a crossbow and their mother with a butcher’s knife.

Jurors took just 45 minutes to find triple killer Kyle Clifford, 26, guilty of raping Louise Hunt in a “violent, sexual act of spite” over their breakup.

He had previously admitted to stabbing Carol Hunt and killing her daughters Louise and Hannah Hunt in the crossbow attack at the family home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, but denied raping his former partner.

Clifford was tried in his absence at Cambridge Crown Court after refusing to leave his cell at HMP Belmarsh, the court was told.

The defendant became “enraged” when his 25-year-old ex-girlfriend Louise ended their 18-month relationship and “carefully” planned the murders on 9 July last year, the court heard.

Prosecutors said the “violent misogyny promoted” by controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate “fuelled” his attack after he searched for Tate’s podcast less than 24 hours before the murders.

Clifford gained access to the family home by deceiving 61-year-old Carol, the wife of BBC racing commentator John Hunt, before stabbing her to death in a “brutal knife attack”.

He 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 when she returned to the property in the quiet cul-de-sac of Ashlyn Close in Bushey, Hertfordshire, after work.

Police launched a manhunt for the former soldier and eventually found him injured in Lavender Hill Cemetery in Enfield, north London, after he shot himself in the chest with the crossbow.

In January, he admitted to three counts of murder, one of false imprisonment against Louise, and two counts of possession of offensive weapons – the crossbow and the knife.

The court heard how the killer hid the fact he had relationships with other women during his time with Louise and was signed up to online dating sites Hinge and Bumble.

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