Bushey crossbow victim ‘called police fearing she was going to die’

A man has appeared in court charged with the murders of a mum and two daughters who died from crossbow injuries in Bushey.

Kyle Clifford, 26, has been charged with the murders of Carol Hunt, 61, the wife of BBC racing commentator John Hunt, and their two daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28, in Bushey, Hertfordshire, in July.

Clifford has also been charged with possession of a weapon and false imprisonment.

Hertfordshire Police had previously been unable to interview Kyle Clifford whilst he received treatment for an injury in hospital, where he remained under arrest.

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Gardner, from the BCH Major Crime Unit, said: ‘Our thoughts remain with the Hunt family and their loved ones as they continue to come to terms with their loss.

‘Over the past couple of months, we have been working hard to gather as much evidence as possible and establish the full circumstances of what happened that day.

‘Today, we have managed to secure charges against Kyle Clifford in connection with the murders of Carol, Hannah and Louise Hunt. 

‘Although it has taken some time to reach this stage, we can now move forward with the judicial process and seek justice for their family.’

Clifford has been remanded into custody and will appear at the Royal Courts of Justice this afternoon.

Hertfordshire Coroner’s Court heard Hannah Hunt texted someone telling them she had been ‘tied up’ at the family home on July 9.

The text asked the unnamed member of the public to call the police, telling them the person responsible was at the house, a coroner’s officer told the short hearing.

Ms Hunt was then able to call the police, reporting that she had been shot, as had her mother and sister.

She gave her address before the call cut out, the hearing was told.

When officers arrived they found her alive in the main doorway of the home, with a crossbow bolt still in her chest, senior coroner for Hertfordshire Geoffrey Sullivan was told.

Prosecutor David Burns said: ‘Police attended the property – they found the front door was open.

‘They found Hannah Hunt lying near the doorway. She had been shot with a crossbow in the chest.

‘They went into the property and they found Louise Hunt had been tied to a chair – she had also been shot with a crossbow.

‘They also found their mother Carol Hunt – she had been stabbed with a knife and suffered multiple injuries.’

He added: ‘Police were called to the property by Hannah Hunt.’

She told them that she, her mother and her sister had been shot and that ‘she fears that she was going to die’, Mr Burns said.

He continued: ‘The phone call then cut off. She managed to re-establish contact and call an ambulance.’

The prosecutor told the court that the call was cut off again.

Lisa Ramsarran, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Thames and Chiltern, said: ‘The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised Hertfordshire Constabulary to charge Kyle Clifford with three counts of murder following the deaths of Carol, Louise and Hannah Hunt in Bushey on Tuesday 9 July.

‘Mr Clifford, 26, who was later found by police in Enfield, has also been charged with two counts of possession of an offensive weapon and one count of false imprisonment.

‘Our thoughts remain with the Hunt family and all those who have been affected by this tragic incident.’

Mr Hunt has previously paid tribute to his ‘magnificently inspirational’ surviving daughter after the rest of their family was killed in the horrific attack.

Paying tribute to the three victims, Mr Hunt and his third daughter Amy said: ‘The devastation that we are experiencing cannot be put into words.

‘We would like to thank people for their kind messages and for the support we have received in recent days. These have provided great comfort to us for which we are very grateful.

‘As you can imagine, this is an extremely difficult time for us, and we need time and space to come to terms with what has happened and start the grieving process.’

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