BBC racing commentator John Hunt, whose spouse and two of his daughters had been murdered final July, describes in an emotional first interview the legacy of affection they left behind.
It was this, John and his daughter Amy inform the BBC, that had helped maintain them by means of their trauma and grief.
Carol, Louise and Hannah remained such a relentless presence of their lives that he nonetheless talks to them each day, nearly a 12 months on from their deaths, John says.
“From the second I get up, I say good morning to every of them,” he says.
“Generally I say out loud to Hannah and Louise, ‘women, sorry I can not be with you, I am together with your mum in the mean time’. As I shut my eyes at evening, I chat to them as nicely. They’re very near me on a regular basis.”
John and Amy say they took the choice to speak publicly now as a result of they didn’t need their family members to be outlined by their deaths. Additionally they really feel a lot of the preliminary reporting after the murders was inaccurate and it added to their ache.
They’ve additionally shared beforehand unseen household pictures with the BBC.
Kyle Clifford fatally stabbed 61-year-old Carol, raped his former accomplice, Louise, 25, then used a crossbow to shoot each her and her sister Hannah, 28 – all at their household residence in Bushey, Hertfordshire, in July final 12 months.
Amy says the minute Clifford left their residence on the day of the incident, “my mum, Hannah and Louise turned a statistic. They turned victims of Kyle Clifford.”
“I need to breathe life again into my mum, Hannah and Louise as fully-rounded folks.”
Amy and John inform the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire in addition they strongly reject experiences there have been clear indicators of abuse by Clifford throughout his relationship with Louise.
“Did we’ve any indication that this man was able to stabbing my mom, of tying Louise up, of raping Louise, of taking pictures Louise and taking pictures Hannah? Completely not,” says Amy.
The Hunt household have all the time been extraordinarily shut.
Within the early years of their marriage, Carol inspired John – then a police officer – to pursue his dream of turning into a racing commentator.
That endless perception was inherited by their three daughters – Amy, the eldest, their center daughter Hannah, and Louise, “the infant”. They talked on a regular basis and shared every little thing with one another.
John, Carol, Hannah and Louise lived collectively of their residence in Bushey, Hertfordshire. Louise ran a dog-grooming enterprise from a pod within the backyard and Hannah labored in aesthetics and wonder.
Their life, John says, was “one in every of full happiness – awash with it, actually”.
They keep in mind one Friday evening final Might, two months earlier than the murders, when the three sisters had gone out for sushi collectively.
“We had been speaking about how fortunate we would been as a household, to have had the mother and father we have had and the life we have had,” Amy says.
John agrees, and provides that when Hannah got here residence from the dinner, she was “usually effusive”.
“She got here barnstorming by means of the door, and Carol stated one thing like, ‘you had a stunning time?’ And he or she stated, ‘have you learnt what, mum? We talked about how fortunate we’ve been. We’ve got been so fortunate. We have not had a minute of concern or fear by means of the lives you’ve got given us’,” he says.
“It is a phenomenal factor to recall. It was a phenomenal factor to listen to on the identical time.”
You possibly can watch the total interview, Standing Robust: The John and Amy Hunt interview, with Victoria Derbyshire at 21:00 BST on BBC1 and on iPlayer
Whereas issues had been idyllic with the household, Louise and Clifford’s relationship had began to bitter. On the finish of June, Louise broke up with him.
Lower than two weeks later, on 9 July, Clifford turned up on the household’s residence on the pretext of returning a few of Louise’s issues.
Doorbell footage captured the second Carol opened the door to Clifford, and greeted him with pleasant recommendation.
“Perhaps… possibly assume within the subsequent relationship,” she instructed him, “the best way you’re, possibly attempt to change. If you happen to keep on like this you will find yourself by yourself.” Clifford agreed, seemingly cordial, and instructed her he had began remedy.
Carol turned to enter the home, and Clifford adopted her inside.
He then stabbed her a number of occasions, earlier than ready in the home for Louise to return again inside from her canine grooming pod. When she did, he restrained, raped, and killed her with a crossbow. When Hannah returned later, he shot her with the crossbow too.
In her dying moments, Hannah messaged her boyfriend, Alex, and managed to name 999. She was capable of inform them what had occurred and, crucially, who was accountable. John was in central London on the time. He believes Clifford meant to kill him too.
“Law enforcement officials of 30 years’ expertise had their breath taken away by how courageous she was, how she was capable of assume so clearly in that second, to know what she wanted to do,” John says.
Requested if Hannah’s actions saved his life, John provides: “That is what I consider.
“I stated it in courtroom and I stated many, many occasions, her doing that has given me life. And I’ve used that to re-ground myself each day.”
Because the information of the murders unfold, the narrative spun uncontrolled.
John says “from day one” their household – and specifically, Louise – was “utterly misrepresented within the media and on social media”, together with false solutions Louise was in a controlling and coercive relationship with Kyle Clifford.
He and Amy recall misinformation on information websites, together with the declare that John had been the one to find his spouse and daughters’ our bodies of their residence.
Additionally they keep in mind pictures being lifted from their family members’ social media pages by sections of the media with out consent, one thing John describes as “grave-robbing”.
Amy remembers one newspaper headline studying, “Crossbow maniac was jilted”, a framing she describes as “victim-blaming”.
However most painful, they are saying, had been claims within the press that there have been clear indicators of abuse and misogyny in Clifford’s relationship with Louise.
John and Amy say the household had misgivings about Clifford – there have been issues about him they did not very hot to. He was immature and, at occasions, thoughtless. They are saying he could not take care of battle, and was dangerous at taking criticism. The household, together with Louise, would discuss to one another about Clifford’s lack of consideration.
However their relationship additionally appeared unremarkable, they are saying. The 2 of them would giggle and cuddle in the home, watch movies collectively, cook dinner collectively, go on holidays to Europe and take weekend journeys to the seaside.
They appeared completely satisfied, for a 12 months not less than – and even when issues began to deteriorate in 2024, for these on the skin, the change was refined.
A turning level got here when the couple went away for a good friend’s wedding ceremony. The evening earlier than the ceremony, Louise struggled to make use of the oven of their lodging. The subsequent day, when different wedding ceremony friends requested Louise what she did for a residing, Clifford would interject with the barb that “one factor she would not do is know how one can work an oven correctly”.
Clifford began to belittle her. When wanting by means of the couple’s textual content messages after Louise’s demise – one thing John says he discovered “very tough to do” because the messages had been private to Louise – they observed indicators, from spring 2024, of “light manipulation”.
However did they discover something on the time that prompt the connection was abusive?
No, John says. Clifford by no means bodily assaulted Louise after they had been collectively. The household additionally by no means heard them elevate their voices at one another.
“On the level of Louise ending [the relationship], there was completely proof that he had turned out to not be a pleasant individual,” Amy says.
“However I need to put it very bluntly now. Did we’ve any indication that this man was able to stabbing my mom, of tying Louise up, of raping Louise, of taking pictures Louise and taking pictures Hannah? Completely not.
“He is usually been known as ‘crossbow killer’ and ‘crossbow maniac’ – however that takes away from the very actual challenge we all know to be true. He was only a individual, only a man… who went to the health club, had a household, had a relationship, watched TV.
“I do know it sounds crass, however we regularly say we want we would had some trace that he was able to this.”
Within the months that adopted the murders, John and Amy needed to navigate a fancy legal justice system.
John makes a degree of highlighting the “unbelievable folks” who supported them – the law enforcement officials, their household liaison officers, their barrister, and the “compassionate” choose who oversaw the rape trial and sentenced Clifford. They had been, they are saying, “very fortunate to have met these folks in these horrible circumstances”.
However, he provides, “every of them is working in a system that’s clearly not match for function”.
On the day Clifford appeared at magistrates’ courtroom after being charged, John and Amy’s household liaison officers weren’t capable of attend the listening to with them as they had been at one other homicide in Luton.
“It simply so occurred that that morning within the magistrates’ courtroom, they revealed features of the murders that we had not heard of in any respect, from anyone,” John says. “That was an terrible day.”
Amy then discovered the small print of her sister Hannah’s remaining phrases on the cellphone to 999, from a newspaper headline.
After they spoke to the CPS about their considerations, they got a criticism type and instructed to return it inside 28 working days – “as if we would had our bike stolen”.
On one other day, when Clifford was on account of enter his pleas, Amy says they had been instructed the listening to wanted to be postponed as a result of the jail transport “did not flip as much as take him to courtroom”.
The proceedings had been lengthy and torturous for John and Amy. Clifford initially denied the fees towards him, earlier than pleading responsible to every little thing besides the cost of rape. This meant the case needed to go to trial. He was convicted in March.
Clifford refused to attend his sentencing later that month, which means he didn’t hear the choose’s damning feedback about him, or the devastating testimonies written by John and Amy.
“It is constantly a system that prioritises the perpetrator,” Amy says. “That is a traumatising factor for therefore many individuals.”
The Crown Prosecution Service says it has apologised, and it has “the utmost admiration for the Hunt household, who had the energy and braveness to attend courtroom each day and listen to first-hand the devastating reality of what occurred to Carol, Louise and Hannah.
“On the request of the choose throughout the first listening to of Kyle Clifford, we supplied preliminary particulars of the prosecution’s case. We apologised to the Hunt household for the extent of element outlined at that stage and continued to satisfy with them all through the legal justice course of.”
Within the months for the reason that sentencing, John and Amy say they have been attempting to give attention to residing once more.
“When it occurred I assumed, ‘how on earth am I ever going to have the ability to care about something ever once more’?” John says.
“It is nice to take a seat with that thought within the wreckage of what was our private catastrophe. However you come to understand that, with a bit bit of labor, you will discover some mild once more.”
He says they’ve discovered consolation in good counsellors and help teams, mindfulness workouts, and the love and help they’ve for one another.
However above all, each day he remembers Hannah’s remaining act, and the way it saved his life. “I get to stay,” he says. “Hannah gave me that, and I’ve acquired to deal with it as a present from her.”
If you happen to’ve been affected by a number of the points raised on this story particulars of help can be found at BBC Action Line.
