Former soldier charged with crossbow murder of three women in July
A former soldier has appeared in court charged with the crossbow murder of three women at their home in Hertfordshire in July, police have said.
Kyle Clifford, 26, has been charged with three counts of murder after the deaths of Carol Hunt and her two daughters, Louise and Hannah Hunt, in Bushey on 9 July, Hertfordshire police said. Clifford, who served with the British army in the Queen’s Dragoon Guards, also faces charges of false imprisonment and two counts of possession of offensive weapons.
Clifford, from Enfield, was found in a cemetery in Enfield with injuries on 10 July.
In a statement, Hertfordshire police said officers had previously been unable to interview Clifford while he received treatment in hospital, where he remained under arrest.
After questioning, he was charged and remanded into custody.
Clifford appeared remotely at Westminster magistrates court yesterday. The charges were read out in full in court. On counts one to three, Clifford is accused of murdering Hannah, Carol and Louise on 9 July.
The 26-year-old also faces two counts of possession of an offensive weapon – one a 10in butcher’s knife and the other a compound crossbow.
The defendant faces a final count of false imprisonment, which alleges that he “assaulted and unlawfully and injuriously imprisoned Louise Hunt and detained her against her will”. The court heard Louise had been found tied up when officers attended the property.
Louise and her sister Hannah had been shot with a crossbow and their mother, Carol, had been stabbed with a knife and suffered multiple injuries, according to an earlier inquest.
The chief magistrate, district judge Paul Goldspring, remanded Clifford in custody. The judge told the defendant: “You face three charges of murder and two charges in relation to weapons and one in relation to false imprisonment.”
He said the charges of murder and false imprisonment were “matters which can only be heard at the crown court” and that the charges of weapon possession are “related”.
The judge continued: “I do not have the power to consider bail in this court. I therefore send your case to the central criminal court sitting at the Royal Courts of Justice where you will appear later today. You will be remanded in custody.”
DCI Nick Gardner 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.
“We have now 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.”
At the time, the BBC racing commentator, John Hunt, the husband of Carol and father to Hannah and Louise, and his daughter Amy, said: “The devastation that we are experiencing cannot be put into words.”
Lisa Ramsarran, the chief prosecutor for Crown Prosecution Service Thames and Chiltern, said: “Our thoughts remain with the Hunt family and all those who have been affected by this tragic incident.”
‘Over the past couple of months, we have been working hard to gather as much evidence as possible’
DCI Nick Gardner