Summary of the sentencing hearing
Kyle Clifford has been given a whole-life order for the murder and rape of his ex-partner, Louise Hunt, alongside the murders of her mother Carol and sister Hannah.
Clifford, 26, will never be released from prison after being sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court for the murders, which were committed last July. He was also sentenced to a concurrent 20-year sentence for raping Louise.
“You planned and contemplated killing all three of your victims,” the judge said as he delivered his sentencing remarks. He described the killer as a “jealous man soaked in self pity, who holds women in utter contempt”.
Clifford allegedly began plotting to attack Louise two days after she had ended their 18-month relationship because he was “enraged” by the rejection.
The court heard powerful victim impact statements from BBC racing commentator John Hunt, whose wife and two daughters were murdered by Clifford, Amy Hunt, Louise and Hannah’s older sister and Carol’s daughter, and Alex Klein, Hannah’s partner.
In his statement, John Hunt described Clifford as a psychopath disguised as an ordinary human being. “Whatever sentence you are about to receive, whatever misery lies ahead for you in the next 60 years, once your days on earth are done, on your dying day, there will be no release for you,” he said. “The screams of hell, Kyle. I can hear them faintly now. They are going to roll out the red carpet for you. At that point, when the person you could have been meets the person you are, you will realise your miserable fate will last for eternity.”
Amy Hunt - the eldest daughter - described Clifford as a “monster” who carried out “demonic” acts.
Alex Klein said of the triple killer: “You are a weak and insecure little boy who compulsively lied”, adding that his “soul will suffer for eternity”.
A prosecutor told the judge earlier in the hearing it was “no coincidence” Clifford had sought out podcasts by the self-styled misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate before the murders. Clifford had watched up to 10 videos of Tate in the lead-up to his crimes.
You can read more about what was said in the hearing today in this report filed by my colleague Ben Quinn who has been at Cambridge Crown Court since this morning.
Updated
Three innocent women were killed because Clifford could not 'accept rejection' - investigating officer
We have some more comments from Nick Gardner, the senior investigating officer in the case of triple murderer Kyle Clifford. He said that “three innocent women from the same family lost their lives simply because Clifford could not accept rejection or Louise (Hunt)’s right to leave their relationship”.
Speaking outside of Cambridge Crown Court, he continued:
There was nothing that Louise, Carol or Hannah (Hunt) could have done to predict the violence that ensued or to prevent it from happening.
They resisted Clifford’s attack with bravery and Hannah herself raised the alarm despite having suffered an injury that would later take her life.
Today’s sentence sends a message to men who perpetrate serious acts of violence against women.
You will be held accountable and you will face the full force of the law.
Prosecutors previously said Clifford became “enraged” when Louise ended their 18-month relationship, leading him to “carefully” plan the 9 July murders of Louise, Carol and Hannah Hunt. The court previously heard the murders were fuelled by the “violent misogyny promoted” by Andrew Tate, after it emerged that Clifford searched for his podcast less than 24 hours before the attacks.
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Det Ch Insp Nick Gardner said the Hunt family had “suffered unimaginable loss as the result of (Kyle) Clifford’s actions”.
Speaking outside Cambridge Crown Court, he said:
They have shown dignity and strength of courage throughout the investigation and trial, and although the sentence will provide little or no consolation at least we know that Clifford will never be released from prison.
He praised the police officers who helped detain Clifford after he went on the run with a crossbow, describing the defendant as “clearly a dangerous man”.
“These officers acted with immense bravery knowing that he was likely armed and had killed three people just hours earlier,” Gardner was quoted by the PA news agency as having said.
As a reminder, Clifford became the subject of a search for a number of hours before he was found injured in Lavender Hill cemetery in Enfield on 10 July 2024 (the day after the murders) after shooting himself in the chest with a crossbow. He is now paralysed from the chest downwards.
Clifford refused to attend Cambridge crown court for his sentencing today or to appear virtually.
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Clifford showed a lack of remorse over his 'inhumane crimes' - CPS says of triple killer
Lisa Kiff, from the Crown Prosecution Service, has released a statement after the sentencing of Kyle Clifford. She said the killer showed a complete lack of remorse over his “inhumane crimes” and tried to escape the “gravity of his actions” at every turn.
She said:
Kyle Clifford is a murderer and rapist, who at every turn has attempted to escape the gravity of his actions.
From seeking to evade arrest, to not attending his trial or the sentencing hearing today - his lack of remorse and accountability for the truly inhumane crimes he committed has been laid bare.
While Clifford pleaded guilty to the murders of Carol, Louise and Hannah Hunt, the Crown Prosecution Service took the decision to proceed with the rape charge. This was to ensure full justice was secured for Louise, and to ensure that Clifford could be sentenced for the full extent of his offending.
That decision has been vindicated by his conviction for the rape and by the sentence passed today as Clifford will never be released from prison.
On behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service, I want to express my heartfelt sympathies and admiration to the Hunt family. They had the strength and courage to attend court every day and hear first-hand the devastating truth of what happened to Carol, Louise and Hannah – something which, in stark contrast, Clifford was too cowardly to do.
We hope today’s sentence, which ensures Clifford can never hurt anyone again, can help the Hunt family with their healing process as they navigate the future and continue to honour the lives of Carol, Louise and Hannah.
'We hope this sentence helps the Hunt family heal, knowing Clifford can never harm again.'
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 11, 2025
Senior Crown Prosecutor Lisa Kiff says Clifford "tried at every turn to escape the gravity of his actions" after he was sentenced to a whole-life term.https://t.co/fLaANPcPSh
📺 Sky 501 pic.twitter.com/fmxVJAgJnI
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Justice Bennathan says he is left in “no doubt this is a sentence I must impose”. The judge, summing up his sentencing remarks, paid tribute to the “astonishing dignity and courage” with which Carol, Louise and Hannah’s family conducted themselves throughout the hearing.
As a reminder, John Hunt and Amy Hunt gave powerful victim impact statements, some of which you can read here and here.
The judge also praised the work of the legal teams for the prosecution and defence, as well as the police for their investigation.
BBC racing commentator John Hunt could be seen embracing his surviving daughter Amy and other friends and family members at Cambridge Crown Court.
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Clifford 'planned and contemplated' killing all three victims, judge says
The judge said:
I am satisfied so that I am sure that you both planned and contemplated killing all three of your victims. I have already mentioned your planning.
You knew the routine and habits of that household. You clearly anticipated that Carol Hunt would be in the house as you went equipped to trick your way inside.
You must have known Louise Hunt would be working in the building in the garden, as you knew her routine and she was the obvious target to be raped and murdered.
You knew the routines of the household. You were there for over four hours and must have anticipated that Hannah Hunt would return.
While you had used Louise Hunt’s phone to ensure John Hunt would not be home any time soon, you made no such enquiry about Hannah.
You would have known she wore a uniform for work which she would be bound to come home to change before doing anything else in the evening.
I am sure that Hannah too was part of your premeditation and that you intended to murder her if the chance presented itself.
Key event
Addressing Kyle Clifford’s short-lived career in the military, the judge says it could be “significant mitigation” in “many cases” but not in this one.
The judge said in his sentencing remarks:
You have been referred to at times as a former soldier. In many cases that would serve as significant mitigation.
Not so in your case, however, as your two years in the army included 286 days at home claiming to be ill, you never saw active service, and your utility to the armed forces can be gleaned in a parting comment from your commanding officer that: “His character is wholly unsuited to military employment and he has no care nor concern beyond himself”.
Judge imposes 20-year sentence for rape of Louise Hunt
The judge has sentenced Kyle Clifford to a concurrent 20-year sentence for raping his ex-girlfriend Louise Hunt. Justice Bennathan had already said Clifford will never be released from prison after giving him a whole-life order for murdering his ex-girlfriend, her sister and mother.
Clifford has also been sentenced to one year for possession of a crossbow, one year for possession of a knife and eight years for false imprisonment of Louise Hunt.
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The judge has praised the heroic and powerful victim impact statements John and Amy Hunt gave at Cambridge Crown Court this morning and afternoon.
Justice Bennathan said:
The statements of John and Amy Hunt also demonstrated great courage and determination that your terrible crimes will not define them or stop them leading the lives Carol, Louise and Hannah Hunt would have wished for them. They showed a gentle heroism of which you can only dream.
“Your brutal and cowardly attack had been planned over about 11 days,” the judge said.
“You conducted extensive research into the movements of Louise’s father John, into her mother’s Facebook page, into buying a crossbow, a knife and an air pistol, and even into the weather on the day of the attack.”
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Kyle Clifford is a 'jealous man soaked in self-pity who holds women in utter contempt' - judge
The judge gave the whole-life order term immediately because he said he didn’t want to hold anybody in suspense.
Justice Bennathan said Carol Hunt, 61, had shown “nothing but kindness in the moment before” he attacked her om the day of the triple murder last July.
The judge says Clifford raped and killed Louise after she was “gentle as she could” ending the 18 month relationship, before the former soldier went on to kill her sister Hannah.
The judge summed Clifford up as a “jealous man soaked in self-pity, a man who holds women in utter contempt”.
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Judge imposes a whole-life order on triple killer Kyle Clifford
The judge has given Kyle Clifford, who murdered his ex-girlfriend and her sister with a crossbow and their mother with a butcher’s knife, a whole life order with no possibility of parole.
Justice Bennathan said:
This is no occasion to subject family and friends of your victims to any delay or suspense.
I therefore make clear at once that for each of these three murders, the sentence will be one of life imprisonment with a whole-life order. That means a sentence from which you will never be released.
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The judge, justice Joel Bennathan, is expected to begin sentencing shortly. The mandatory sentence for the crime of murder is life imprisonment, but a judge sets a minimum term before parole can be considered.
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In response to Kyle Clifford’s refusal to attend court, the prime minister’s official spokesman said: “Cowardly killers like this individual, who refuse to look grieving families in the eye as judges hand down their sentences, deny victims and their families the opportunity to tell them the horrific ways that they’ve destroyed lives.”
He continued:
That’s why the government is committed to changing the law so that courts have the power to order the most serious offenders to attend their sentencing hearings, with reasonable force being used when necessary, and criminals who refuse will face being locked up for longer, ensuring that they face up to justice rather than hiding away from the grief and anger of their victims’ families.”
PA Media reports that Keir Starmer has promised to carry on the pledge to change the law, first made by his predecessor Rishi Sunak, when he met the mother of murdered nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.
Cheryl Korbel and her family have campaigned to change the law so that offenders are compelled to appear in the dock for sentencing.
In Clifford’s case, the judge did not order him to be forcibly brought before the court as he did not want him “potentially disrupting” proceedings.
Mr Justice Bennathan told the court: “The defendant was asked to attend here or on the video link and refused, and I then had an inquiry from Belmarsh as to whether I would order restraints so he should be brought to the video room.
“I have declined on the basis that the idea of a man in a wheelchair being put in restraints and potentially disrupting these proceedings is simply not appropriate or suitable.”
The submissions from the defence have concluded. The judge says he aims to pass sentence at 2pm, or shortly afterwards if he needs more time.
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Kyle Clifford’s barrister, Phil Bradley KC, has begun his mitigation by acknowledging the “appalling” nature of Clifford’s crimes and the “devastation” it has wrought on the Hunt family.
Bradley said: “The offending in this case is quite simply appalling and its effects and the devastation it has caused are clear for all to see.
“But it will nevertheless be understood that I’m charged with representing the interests of this man and that’s what I must do.”
He is arguing against the judge imposing a whole life order, calling instead for a life sentence with a high minimum term. “This was utterly appalling conduct, but it was concentrated, one incident, and there was no spree that followed,” Bradley told Cambridge Crown court.
Convicted criminals must be at least 21 to receive a whole-life order, which is the most severe penalty available in the country’s criminal justice system. It is usually reserved for serial killers, or those whose crimes include an unusual aggravating feature – such as abusing a position of power to commit murder.
The order, which creates the expectation that an offender will only be considered for release on the most exceptional of compassionate grounds, differs from a life sentence, which also exists for life – but has the possibility of parole after its minimum term in custody has been served.
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Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC tells the court the seriousness of the crimes are “exceptionally high” and the judge can pass a whole life term, which would mean no chance of parole for Clifford.
Morgan says Clifford, 26, could rely on in mitigation his previous good character, his “relatively young age”, and his guilty pleas to the three murders.
But she argues that the mitigation has been undermined by Clifford’s denial of the rape charge, for which he was found guilty over last week.
“In light of the defendant’s approach towards the allegation of rape, in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence, the key reasons for giving any credit have been undermined: the family of the deceased have been put through a trial process; expert witnesses have had to testify; time and money has been spent on a trial,” Morgan said.
Court 1 at Cambridge crown court is coming back from a ten minute break called by the judge, justice Joel Bennathan, after the three victim impact statements were read out.
Updated
'Difficult to think of a more devastating reality than the one you created,' sister tells triple killer
Amy Hunt’s victim statement went on:
It is difficult to think of a more devastating reality than the one you have created, Kyle - though I imagine that these facts mean nothing to you.
You violently took my mother and sisters from me, and you violently killed almost all of my mum and dad’s children.
As a son to a mother, a brother to a sister... I will never understand how you felt and feel nothing about the hideous act - but I suppose that is what separates you from us. Kyle, plainly the Hunt family are human and you are not.
“After what Kyle Clifford did, Dad and I often feel like the most unfortunate people in the world - but we know actually we are the luckiest people to know and love my mum, Hannah and Louise,” Amy said.
“Nothing Kyle has done will ever take that away. Such love is too strong to be lost to his actions.”
Amy says she believes it is only by “sheer chance” she was not also murdered by Clifford as she was not at the family home at the time.
She concludes: “Any strength you see from my dad and I is solely because of my mum, Louise and Hannah.”
Updated
Clifford is a 'monster' who has 'earned a rightful spot in hell' - surviving sister tells court
Amy Hunt, whose two younger sisters and mother were murdered by Kyle Clifford, is now reading out a statement about how the murders have devastated her.
She called Clifford a “monster” and said that what he did “to my baby sister is nothing short of demonic”.
Amy, 30, said that Clifford’s “monstrous, selfish actions” had devastated the loved ones of Carol, Hannah and Louise Hunt. She said Clifford decided that his “own fragile ego and pride were more important” than anything else.
“You planned to take the lives of three women who have never done anything to hurt you and for what - you got dumped,” she said, adding that Clifford “earned a rightful spot in hell”.
Amy said:
That day, and every day leading up to it, Kyle, you had a choice and you chose to inflict violence on a horrific scale, all for your own selfish and sadistic aims.
All the time, truly thinking of yourself alone, I can only assume that in the days after Louise broke up with you in the kindest most respectful way... you created some kind of false narrative in your head about how we had supposedly wronged you in order to allow you to avoid confronting the pain and shame within you and the truth - that the break-up was entirely your fault.
That day, my mum, Hannah and Louise were all simply living their lives, getting on with their day in the home working or returning to their home after work.
Their home is a place that was and should have continued to be safe for them and you made it the most unsafe place in the world for those few hours - you are a monster.
Updated
'Hannah was an angel and the perfect woman' - partner says in victim impact statement
Hannah Hunt’s partner, Alex Klein, is the next person to give a victim impact statement. He said his girlfriend could “only be described as an angel”.
Reading his statement to the court he said: “Hannah can only be described as an angel. She would never lay a finger on anyone.”
He added:
Hannah completed my life. We worked so hard to build a future together and achieve our goals and all I wanted was to share that with her.
She was my world, the perfect woman, she supported me and understood me in every way.
Klein tells Clifford “you are nothing to me,” saying he only feels “disgust” towards the killer, who has refused to leave his cell at Belmarsh Prison in southeast London.
He described Clifford as weak and insecure little boy who compulsively lied. “Your soul will suffer for eternity,” Klein said.
Updated
Hell will roll out 'red carpet' for you - father tells killer
Summing up his powerful and emotional victim impact statement, John Hunt said:
Whatever sentence you are about to receive, whatever misery lies ahead for you in the next 60 years, once your days on earth are done, on your dying day, there will be no release for you.
The screams of hell, Kyle. I can hear them faintly now. They are going to roll out the red carpet for you. At that point, when the person you could have been meets the person you are, you will realise your miserable fate will last for eternity.
John Hunt continued: “What about me? The impact of what you have done will be taken to my grave.
“But on the way there, I want you to know that I stand strong before you today as you, Kyle, are consigned to a fate far greater than death.
“I can draw on the love and strength that I still (have) from my girls in every moment of every day.”
He added:
Whilst I am badly damaged, I am absolutely determined to see what my future is surrounded by so many amazing people, and the chance to do that, I firmly believe, has been gifted to me by my incredible Hansie (Hannah Hunt).
I really believe that had she not managed to show such amazing physical and mental strength in raising the alarm after you, Kyle, fatally injured her, that I would have been your fourth victim that day.
Hannah handed me a second chance, one that she worked so hard to achieve for me.
'You were a psychopath able to disguise yourself as an ordinary human being'
Addressing the absent Clifford, John Hunt continued: “When I challenge myself about how you were able to deceive us all I simply say that you were a psychopath who was able to disguise yourself as an ordinary human being” when he was with the Hunt family.
Hunt says he believes Clifford “reserved your best make believe self for the times you were with us”, adding that Louise was rightly disgusted by “your racism” and his “belittling language”. He adds: “Your levels of misogyny are off the scale.”
Updated
'My daughter enjoyed more success in one morning than you achieved in your entire miserable life', father tells killer
John Hunt continued:
I also want to confirm to the world the truth, especially how Louise conducted herself within a textbook mature break-up on her part, understanding the conflict of saying goodbye to someone she once loved, but not allowing those memories to cloud her certain knowledge that you, Kyle, simply failed to be the person she needed. You failed.
I am so proud of all my girls. Unlike you, Kyle, at every step of their lives, they made the correct choices to improve themselves as people.
Louise, she enjoyed more success and fulfilment in one morning than you achieved in your entire miserable life.
Updated
John Hunt said he “wanted to deliver these words eye to eye with Kyle”, but has not been given the opportunity to do so as Clifford refused to attend court.
Hunt said:
When I was first invited to provide a victim impact statement, I initially misunderstood its purpose, do I really need to detail the impact of having three quarters of my family murdered?
But then I realised that his was my final opportunity to say what I wanted to say, specifically to you, Kyle, words that will also be directed to your family, who will carry guilt forwards with them for the rest of their lives. They knew about the weapons, they knew.
Updated
We are hearing a victim impact statement from John Hunt, a BBC racing commentator, who says the impact of what Clifford has done to his family will be “taken to his grave”.
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Alison Morgan KC continued: “He intended to wait and then restrain and rape Louise Hunt before her death.”
Morgan says the restraining would have occurred very quickly after Louise entered the property from the garden. Clifford tied her arms and ankles with duct tape, gagged her and raped her.
He held her captive for hours before shooting her with a crossbow, using the same weapon to kill her sister Hannah, 28, when she returned home minutes later.
Hannah Hunt – a beauty therapist - had managed to call the police and dial 999, before being fatally shot with a crossbow by Clifford.
Morgan says: “Had Hannah not raised the alarm, the defendant may well have killed Hannah and then waited at the address for John to return.”
Louise and Carol’s bodies were found surrounded by blankets, indicating Clifford possibly intended to set them on fire, the court heard.
Alison Morgan KC says Carol Hunt, 61, was stabbed “repeatedly and brutally” by Clifford after he entered the house. The prosecution says the 61-year-old was stabbed from the front and behind and “resisted” the attack as best as she could.
She said Clifford used a knife hidden in a backpack to attack Carol Hunt, believing that carrying a crossbow for the first stage of the attack would have caused too much alarm.
After the first murder, he went back to his car to retrieve the crossbow, the court heard, and then waited for an hour or so for Louise to come into the house from the pod in the garden where she worked.
“He didn’t choose to run straight through the house to attack Louise Hunt at that point,” Morgan said.
“Every part of what he was doing was part of a careful and coherent plan. He intended to wait and then to be able to restrain and rape Louise Hunt before her death,” she told the court.
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Alison Morgan KC says Clifford was in “sure knowledge” that Carol Hunt, 61, would be home on the day of the attacks in July last year. The prosecution says that Clifford needed “a ruse” to gain access to the home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, so he created a thank you card for the family and took a bag containing items belonging to Louise. “This is a very clear plan to get into the address,” Morgan said.
Kyle Clifford had two conversations with his brother Bradley Clifford, who is in prison serving a life sentence for murder, in the days before his attack at the Hunt family home and mentioned he had ordered a crossbow.
The conversations, on 1 July and 8 July 8 2024, ahead of the attack on 9 July, were both recorded due to Bradley Clifford being in prison, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said.
The prosecutor said that Kyle Clifford “may not say specifically in terms for that very reason what his plans are”.
She said that in the first call Kyle Clifford “told his brother Bradley ‘I’ve ordered a crossbow’.”
The judge said Clifford “never told his brother he was planning to hurt someone”.
The prosecution says Clifford was questioned by his brother why he ordered a crossbow - “you can’t just order a crossbow bruv”, his brother told him.
As my colleague Ben Quinn mentioned in the previous blog post, the prosecution is saying that Clifford searched online for Tate’s podcast on 8 July - the night before the triple murder in Bushey.
It is “no coincidence” that it was Andrew Tate that Clifford “turned to” the night before the triple murder, Alison Morgan KC told Cambridge Crown Court.
A witness statement from a friend of Louise Hunt has showed Clifford’s interest in the self-described misogynist Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution.
Morgan said:
She observed the defendant putting on a video of Andrew Tate. It was a video showing animals being drugged.
She asked the defendant why he was watching it and he said it was funny.
Updated
Clifford viewed Andrew Tate content night before murders
Kyle Clifford’s interest in the self-described misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate has been raised in court by prosecutor Alison Morgan KC.
Less than 24 hours before Clifford committed the triple murder that would leave his ex-girlfriend, Louise Hunt, her sister and mother dead, he had searched the internet for misogynistic podcasts.
What was not revealed to the jury during his trial for the rape of Louise was that the 26-year-old had listened to Tate.
Addressing the judge this morning in court, Morgan said that Tate had been aa ‘poster boy’ for misogynists.
She added that Clifford’s interest in him at that time confirms his mindset and is consistent with his planning of a violent attack, including the rape of Louise Hunt, out of spite and to assert his control over her.
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Clifford spoke about women at work in 'sexualised' way - prosecution
The prosecution said after time in the army, Clifford later worked at a catering firm, where he allegedly made “inappropriately sexualised comments” to people.
He would also talk about whether he could have sex with female colleagues - including “I could ride you”, Alison Morgan KC said.
His remarks were made while he was still going out with Louise Hunt, and he allegedly had relationships with two other women while in a relationship with Louise, the court heard. The prosecution says Clifford would “discuss bodily features” of women in a “lustful way”.
Morgan said that a supervisor noted “immaturity” at work and described how he referred to his brother Bradley Clifford, who is serving a life sentence for murder, as a “geezer”.
Updated
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said Clifford, who served in the military from 2019 for about three years, had “no care nor concern beyond himself” during his time in the army. “He appeared unable to accept the authority of others,” Morgan said.
Clifford had been a trooper in The Queen’s Dragoon Guards, but left the army after two years in 2022.
The court heard the defendant was involved in an “alcohol-fuelled” incident in 2021 while in the army in which resulted in “soldiers drinking and then an altercation”.
Morgan said Clifford was also involved in a further altercation with civilians and had to be “forcibly ejected from a pub”.
The prosecutor added: “His commanding officer concluded that he… was wholly unsuited to military employment and has no care nor concern beyond himself.”
Updated
Kyle Clifford committed acts of 'extreme violence' against the Hunt family - prosecution
The prosecution is outlining the facts of the case. Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC says Kyle Clifford committed acts of “extreme violence” against the Hunt family.
“He correctly assumed friends and family members had advised Louise to end the relationship,” Morgan told the court.
“He set about planning a catastrophic attack on the Hunt family.”
“Those events came to be because of their relationship ending as it did towards the later stages in June of 2024,” Morgan continued.
“Louise Hunt instigated the end of that relationship. She was supported in doing so by her friends and family.
“In the days that followed, the defendant was prompted to try to rekindle that relationship.
“When Louise Hunt held firm, that rejection angered the defendant. He was angry, not just at Louise Hunt, but also at the Hunt family generally.”
Updated
Ben Quinn is reporting from Cambridge Crown Court
Kyle Clifford has refused to be present in court via video link for his sentencing, those gathered have been told by justice Joel Bennathan.
There had been discussion about putting him into restraints and bringing him to the court remotely but the judge said he had declined
“If the defendant lacks the court to face today so be it but I am conscious that part of this morning will be about people paying tribute to the three women who died and I am not having anything disrupt that,” he said.
“I will address the defendant on the basis that no doubt my comments and those of the family will reach him.”
John Hunt and his surviving daughter, Amy, are sitting on one side of Court 1 with other others around them.
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The judge said today will be a “challenging” day and reminds those in attendance to remain as calm as possible during the hearing. “We really must preserve quiet and decorum in this room,” he said.
Kyle Clifford not in attendance for sentencing
The hearing has begun. Kyle Clifford was asked to attend today’s sentencing in person or via video link but the judge, Justice Bennathan, says he declined.
Clifford also stayed in his cell at HMP Belmarsh for his rape trial.
“If the defendant lacks the courage to face today, so be it,” Justice Bennathan said.
Updated
Timeline and events leading to the triple murder
Kyle Clifford previously pleaded guilty to murdering Louise, Hannah and Carol Hunt, one count of false imprisonment and two charges of possession of an offensive weapon.
He was last week found guilty of raping Louise Hunt on the day of the triple murder, having previously denied committing it.
Here are the key dates and times before and after the murders:
26 June 2024
Louise Hunt ends her relationship with Kyle Clifford, telling him in a message: “I feel like it’s been broken and I can’t ignore how I’ve been feeling or made to feel in our relationship over the course of the year.”
30 June 2024
Clifford makes internet searches in relation to crossbows and visits websites where they could be purchased.
3 July 2024
Clifford purchases a Hori-Zone Kornet MXT-405 compound crossbow, a pack of six crossbow bolts and a rope-cocking device through Tactical Archery. The defendant also buys a £219 CO2 Glock air pistol from The Air Gun Centre in Essex. It was not delivered before the murders and was recalled by the company when it heard about the attacks.
4 July 2024
Clifford buys two petrol cans from Halfords and two rolls of duct tape from B&Q. He searches how to uncock a crossbow and fired a crossbow bolt into a tree.
9 July 2024
1.07pm: Clifford leaves his home address armed with a knife and a crossbow.
1.48pm: Clifford searches “horse racing today” on the internet to see if Louise Hunt’s father, BBC commentator John Hunt, was working that day.
2.32pm: Clifford knocks on the door of the Hunt family home with a black rucksack containing a knife and tells Carol Hunt he wants to return items of property.
2.39pm-2.45pm: Carol Hunt is murdered by Clifford in a knife attack.
3.10pm: Clifford returns to his car to retrieve the crossbow hidden under a white cloth or blanket.
4.13pm: A faint scream is heard shortly after Louise Hunt enters the family home.
4.13pm-6.50pm: Louise Hunt is restrained with duct tape around her ankles and her wrists and is raped by Clifford.
5.37pm-5.43pm: Clifford checks Louise Hunt’s mobile phone to see who she had been in contact with and what she had been looking at on Instagram.
5.44pm: Clifford tells his sister he was shooting his crossbow at a friend’s house and that it was not “illegal” after she asked why he had taken it out.
5.52pm: Clifford messages John Hunt from Louise Hunt’s phone, asking: “What time are you home?”
5.57pm: Clifford searches “if I unplug my smoke detector will it go off”, with the prosecution saying he had contemplated the use of fire to destroy evidence.
6.50pm: Louise Hunt is murdered with a crossbow shortly before Hannah Hunt arrives at the property.
6.51pm: Hannah Hunt realises Clifford is at the address and shouts “What is wrong with you?”, with screams heard coming from the property.
6.52pm: Hannah Hunt messages her partner: “Call police leggy. Immediately. To mine. Now. Kyle here. POLCOE (sic) NOW. HE’S TYING US UP.”
6.54pm: Hannah Hunt is shot with a crossbow.
6.55pm: Clifford walks away from the property with the crossbow hidden under the sheet and the black rucksack.
6.57pm: Female heard in the property screaming “Oh my God, no” as Hannah Hunt realises her sister and mother have been attacked.
6.58pm: Hannah Hunt uses Carol Hunt’s phone to dial 999 and identifies Clifford as the attacker to the call handler.
7.10pm: Emergency services attend the Hunt family home – Carol and Louise Hunt are found dead and unsuccessful resuscitation attempts are made on Hannah Hunt.
10 July 2024
4.49am-5.18am: Clifford is seen in a cemetery in the Lavender Gardens area of Enfield, north London.
4.20pm: Firearms officers locate Clifford in a wooded area with a loaded crossbow before he shoots himself in the chest with the weapon.
4.51pm: Clifford is formally arrested after receiving medical assistance.
16 September 2024
Clifford is finally fit to be interviewed by police where he says “sorry” and “what I have done is atrocious”.
John Hunt, a BBC racing commentator, and his surviving daughter Amy have arrived at the court and have been allowed to enter Court 1. They have previously said their devastation over the murders “cannot be put into words”. The hearing is expected to start in about five minutes.
Updated
Guardian reporter Ben Quinn is among the journalists (from broadcasters and national newspapers) at Cambridge Crown Court covering the sentencing and will be providing updates throughout the day.
Former soldier Kyle Clifford is facing life behind bars as he is due to be sentenced today for the crossbow murders of his ex-partner and her sister, and for fatally stabbing their mother.
Clifford, 26, shot dead Louise Hunt, 25, and her sister Hannah Hunt, 28, with a crossbow and fatally stabbed their mother, Carol Hunt, 61, during a four-hour attack at their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, last July.
Clifford, of Enfield, north London, was also found guilty of raping Louise Hunt before he killed her. The attack occurred two weeks after she ended their 18-month relationship.
The women were the wife and daughters of the BBC racing commentator John Hunt.
The hearing at Cambridge Crown Court will start at 10:30 GMT. The sentence will be passed at 14:00 GMT.
We will bring you the latest developments from the court throughout the day. Expect to hear some distressing and potentially graphic content as the prosecution outlines the facts of the case.
