Ben Quinn
Ben Quinn is reporting from Cambridge Crown Court
Kyle Clifford has refused to be present in court via video link for his sentencing, those gathered have been told by Mr Justice Joel Bennathan.
There had been discussion about putting into restraints and bringing to the court remotely but the judge said he had declined
“If the defendant lacks the court to face today so be it but I am conscious that part of this morning will be about people paying tribute to the three women who died and I am not having anything disrupt that,” he said.
“I will address the defendant on the basis that no doubt my comments and those of the family will reach him.”
John Hunt and his surviving daughter, Amy, are sitting on one side of Court 1 with other others around them.
Key events
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said Clifford, who served in the military from 2019 for about three years, had “no care nor concern beyond himself” during his time in the army. “He appeared unable to accept the authority of others,” Morgan said.
Clifford had been a trooper in The Queen’s Dragoon Guards, but left the Army after two years in 2022.
The court heard the defendant was involved in an “alcohol-fuelled” incident in 2021 while in the army in which resulted in “soldiers drinking and then an altercation”.
Ms Morgan said Clifford was also involved in a further altercation with civilians and had to be “forcibly ejected from a pub”.
The prosecutor added: “His commanding officer concluded that he… was wholly unsuited to military employment and has no care nor concern beyond himself.”
Kyle Clifford committed acts of ‘extreme violence’ against the Hunt family – prosecution
The prosecution is outlining the facts of the case. Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC says Kyle Clifford committed acts of “extreme violence” against the Hunt family.
“He correctly assumed friends and family members had advised Louise to end the relationship,” Morgan told the court.
“He set about planning a catastrophic attack on the Hunt family.”
“Those events came to be because of their relationship ending as it did towards the later stages in June of 2024,” Morgan continued.
“Louise Hunt instigated the end of that relationship. She was supported in doing so by her friends and family.
“In the days that followed, the defendant was prompted to try to rekindle that relationship.
“When Louise Hunt held firm, that rejection angered the defendant. He was angry, not just at Louise Hunt, but also at the Hunt family generally.”
Ben Quinn
Ben Quinn is reporting from Cambridge Crown Court
Kyle Clifford has refused to be present in court via video link for his sentencing, those gathered have been told by Mr Justice Joel Bennathan.
There had been discussion about putting into restraints and bringing to the court remotely but the judge said he had declined
“If the defendant lacks the court to face today so be it but I am conscious that part of this morning will be about people paying tribute to the three women who died and I am not having anything disrupt that,” he said.
“I will address the defendant on the basis that no doubt my comments and those of the family will reach him.”
John Hunt and his surviving daughter, Amy, are sitting on one side of Court 1 with other others around them.
The judge said today will be a “challenging” day and reminds those in attendance to remain as calm as possible during the hearing. “We really must preserve quiet and decorum in this room,” he said.
Kyle Clifford not in attendance for sentencing
The hearing has begun. Kyle Clifford was asked to attend today’s sentencing in person or via video link but the judge, Justice Bennathan, says he declined.
Clifford also stayed in his cell at HMP Belmarsh for his rape trial.
“If the defendant lacks the courage to face today, so be it,” Justice Bennathan said.
Timeline and events leading to the triple murder
Kyle Clifford previously pleaded guilty to murdering Louise, Hannah and Carol Hunt, one count of false imprisonment and two charges of possession of an offensive weapon.
He was last week found guilty of raping Louise Hunt on the day of the triple murder, having previously denied committing it.
Here are the key dates and times before and after the murders:
Louise Hunt ends her relationship with Kyle Clifford, telling him in a message: “I feel like it’s been broken and I can’t ignore how I’ve been feeling or made to feel in our relationship over the course of the year.”
Clifford makes internet searches in relation to crossbows and visits websites where they could be purchased.
Clifford purchases a Hori-Zone Kornet MXT-405 compound crossbow, a pack of six crossbow bolts and a rope-cocking device through Tactical Archery. The defendant also buys a £219 CO2 Glock air pistol from The Air Gun Centre in Essex. It was not delivered before the murders and was recalled by the company when it heard about the attacks.
Clifford buys two petrol cans from Halfords and two rolls of duct tape from B&Q. He searches how to uncock a crossbow and fired a crossbow bolt into a tree.
1.07pm: Clifford leaves his home address armed with a knife and a crossbow.
1.48pm: Clifford searches “horse racing today” on the internet to see if Louise Hunt’s father, BBC commentator John Hunt, was working that day.
2.32pm: Clifford knocks on the door of the Hunt family home with a black rucksack containing a knife and tells Carol Hunt he wants to return items of property.
2.39pm-2.45pm: Carol Hunt is murdered by Clifford in a knife attack.
3.10pm: Clifford returns to his car to retrieve the crossbow hidden under a white cloth or blanket.
4.13pm: A faint scream is heard shortly after Louise Hunt enters the family home.
4.13pm-6.50pm: Louise Hunt is restrained with duct tape around her ankles and her wrists and is raped by Clifford.
5.37pm-5.43pm: Clifford checks Louise Hunt’s mobile phone to see who she had been in contact with and what she had been looking at on Instagram.
5.44pm: Clifford tells his sister he was shooting his crossbow at a friend’s house and that it was not “illegal” after she asked why he had taken it out.
5.52pm: Clifford messages John Hunt from Louise Hunt’s phone, asking: “What time are you home?”
5.57pm: Clifford searches “if I unplug my smoke detector will it go off”, with the prosecution saying he had contemplated the use of fire to destroy evidence.
6.50pm: Louise Hunt is murdered with a crossbow shortly before Hannah Hunt arrives at the property.
6.51pm: Hannah Hunt realises Clifford is at the address and shouts “What is wrong with you?”, with screams heard coming from the property.
6.52pm: Hannah Hunt messages her partner: “Call police leggy. Immediately. To mine. Now. Kyle here. POLCOE (sic) NOW. HE’S TYING US UP.”
6.54pm: Hannah Hunt is shot with a crossbow.
6.55pm: Clifford walks away from the property with the crossbow hidden under the sheet and the black rucksack.
6.57pm: Female heard in the property screaming “Oh my God, no” as Hannah Hunt realises her sister and mother have been attacked.
6.58pm: Hannah Hunt uses Carol Hunt’s phone to dial 999 and identifies Clifford as the attacker to the call handler.
7.10pm: Emergency services attend the Hunt family home – Carol and Louise Hunt are found dead and unsuccessful resuscitation attempts are made on Hannah Hunt.
4.49am-5.18am: Clifford is seen in a cemetery in the Lavender Gardens area of Enfield, north London.
4.20pm: Firearms officers locate Clifford in a wooded area with a loaded crossbow before he shoots himself in the chest with the weapon.
4.51pm: Clifford is formally arrested after receiving medical assistance.
Clifford is finally fit to be interviewed by police where he says “sorry” and “what I have done is atrocious”.
John Hunt, a BBC racing commentator, and his surviving daughter Amy have arrived at the court and have been allowed to enter Court 1. They have previously said their devastation over the murders “cannot be put into words”. The hearing is expected to start in about five minutes.
Guardian reporter Ben Quinn is among the journalists (from broadcasters and national newspapers) at Cambridge Crown Court covering the sentencing and will be providing updates throughout the day.
Former soldier Kyle Clifford is facing life behind bars as he is due to be sentenced today for the crossbow murders of his ex-partner and her sister, and for fatally stabbing their mother.
Clifford, 26, shot dead Louise Hunt, 25, and her sister Hannah Hunt, 28, with a crossbow and fatally stabbed their mother, Carol Hunt, 61, during a four-hour attack at their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, last July.
Clifford, of Enfield, north London, was also found guilty of raping Louise Hunt before he killed her. The attack occurred two weeks after she ended their 18-month relationship.
The women were the wife and daughters of the BBC racing commentator John Hunt.
The hearing at Cambridge Crown Court will start at 10:30 GMT. The sentence will be passed at 14:00 GMT.
We will bring you the latest developments from the court throughout the day. Expect to hear some distressing and potentially graphic content as the prosecution outlines the facts of the case.
