Triple killer Kyle Clifford has been convicted of raping his ex-partner in an attack which saw him murder her and her sister with a crossbow and their mother with a butcher’s knife.
The 26-year-old was found guilty by a jury at Cambridge Crown Court after around 45 minutes – accepting the prosecution’s case that the rape on Louise Hunt was a “violent, sexual act of spite”.
Clifford was tried in his absence after refusing to leave his cell at HMP Belmarsh, the court was told.
The defendant became “enraged” when his 25-year-old ex-girlfriend Louise ended their 18-month relationship – leading him to “carefully” plan the July 9th murders.
Clifford 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”.
After killing Carol, the defendant then “lay in wait” for an hour for Louise to enter the house, before restraining, raping and ultimately murdering her with a crossbow.
He then 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.
Clifford previously admitted three counts of murder, one of false imprisonment against Louise, and two counts of possession of offensive weapons – the crossbow and the knife.
Prosecutors said the “violent misogyny promoted” by controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate “fuelled” Clifford’s attacks.
Clifford searched for Tate’s podcast less than 24 hours before the murders, the court was told.
The court heard how the killer hid the fact he had relationships with other women during his time with Louise and was signed up to online dating sites Hinge and Bumble.
The court heard that customers of Louise’s dog grooming business, based in a pod in the Hunt family’s garden, were using the gate at the side of the house “not realising what was happening” when Carol was murdered.
The jury panel was told a faint scream could be heard from the address shortly after Louise entered the house, and she was found to have been restrained with tape at the wrist and ankles.
Hannah is heard on audio at the Hunt family home saying “Kyle I swear to God” after returning home and appearing to find Clifford in the house, the court heard.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said Hannah messaged her partner, Alex Klein, telling him to “call police… immediately. To mine. Now. Kyle here. Police now. He’s tying us up”.
Clifford’s sister had messaged him on the day of the attacks asking him “what are you playing at?” when she realised he had taken the crossbow out with him.
The defendant told her he was doing nothing “illegal” and that he was shooting it in his friend’s back garden.
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.
He had shot himself in the chest with the crossbow he had used to kill Louise and Hannah, which left him paralysed from the chest downwards.
The court heard Louise’s friends and family “hoped that the relationship would come to an end” after they became concerned about the way Clifford treated her.
The jury was told Louise had shared with her friends that he had a “nasty temper” and that he behaved in an “aggressive manner”, with her sister Hannah deeming him to be “disrespectful, rude and arrogant”.
Louise made a note on her phone five days before the murders titled “When you’re sad, look”, which set out how Clifford was “racist”, had “commented he did not like transgender people” and had used “belittling language”.
Ms Morgan said that in the days leading up to the attacks, Clifford had searched for how to purchase a crossbow and had accessed pornography, including for a video of former HMP Wandsworth prison officer Linda De Sousa Abreu, who admitted having sex with a prisoner last year.
The prosecutor said the defendant’s violent intentions were shown “through the use of weapons and his sexual preoccupations”.
Clifford will be sentenced at the same court on Tuesday. - PA
