A triple killer raped his ex-girlfriend in a “violent, sexual act of spite” during an attack which saw him murder her and her sister with a crossbow and their mother with a butcher’s knife, a court has heard.
Kyle Clifford is alleged to have become “angry” when 25-year-old former partner Louise Hunt ended their relationship before he “carefully planned and executed” the murders on July 9 last year.
Cambridge Crown Court heard the defendant gained access to the family home by deceiving 61-year-old Carol Hunt, the wife of BBC racing commentator John Hunt, before stabbing her to death in a “brutal knife attack”.
Floral tributes near to the scene in Ashlyn Close, Bushey, Hertfordshire, where Carol Hunt, the wife of BBC racing commentator John Hunt, and two of their daughters, Hannah and Louise, were killed in a crossbow attack at their home (Jonathan Brady/PA)
After killing Carol and Louise, he fatally shot 28-year-old Hannah Hunt when she returned to the property in the quiet cul-de-sac of Ashlyn Close in Bushey, Hertfordshire, after work.
The defendant previously admitted three counts of murder, one of false imprisonment against Louise Hunt, and two counts of possession of offensive weapons – the crossbow and the knife.
Mr Hunt observed proceedings from the public gallery on Tuesday.
Opening the prosecution’s case, Alison Morgan KC told the jury: “It is not in dispute therefore that he murdered three members of the Hunt family – Carol, Louise and Hannah.
“It is also not in dispute that he was unlawfully in possession of a knife and a crossbow that day.
“He also accepts that he falsely imprisoned Louise Hunt during the course of the incident, restraining her against her will.”
Ms Morgan continued: “During the course of this prolonged incident of violence, the prosecution alleges that the defendant raped Louise Hunt.
“It was a violent, sexual act of spite, before he then killed her.
“You will have to determine that allegation against him.”
Following the attacks, Clifford, who served in the military from 2019 for around three years, became the subject of a manhunt for a number of hours before he was found injured in Lavender Hill Cemetery in Enfield, north London, after shooting himself in the chest with the crossbow.
Addressing the defendant’s motive to kill his victims, Ms Morgan said: “Louise instigated the end of the relationship, supported by her friends and family.
“In the days that followed, the message prompted the defendant to try to rekindle the relationship in various ways, all of which were rebuffed by Louise Hunt.
“This rejection angered the defendant.
“He was angry at Louise, but also at the Hunt family generally, as he correctly assumed that friends and family members had advised Louise to end the relationship with him.”
The prosecutor continued: “The attack was carefully planned and executed, involving the deceit of Louise’s mother Carol Hunt, in order to gain access to the family home, followed by a brutal knife attack upon Carol Hunt.
“The defendant then waited for Louise to enter the property, before restraining, raping and ultimately murdering her with a crossbow.
“He then killed Louise’s sister Hannah Hunt with the crossbow, when she returned to the property after work.”
Clifford, of Enfield, north London, denies a single charge of rape.
The trial continues.