Kyle Clifford has pleaded not guilty at Cambridge Crown Court to the murders of Carol, Hannah and Louise Hunt – he has also been further charged with rape, Cambridge Crown Court has heard
The man accused of murdering BBC commentator John Hunt’s two daughters and wife has pleaded not guilty.
Kyle Clifford, 26, who is accused of fatally shooting Louise, 25, and Hannah Hunt, 28, with a crossbow, and stabbing Carol Hunt, 61, to death, has been further charged with rape, Cambridge Crown Court heard.
Clifford, of Enfield, north London, is charged with three counts of murder, one charge of false imprisonment and two counts of possession of offensive weapons – namely a crossbow and a 10-inch butcher’s knife. The incident happened at the Hunt family home in Bushey, Hertfordshire on July 9.
Cambridge Crown Court heard the defendant is also accused of rape after the charge was added to the indictment against him on Thursday.
Clifford, who appeared via video link from HMP Belmarsh, entered his not guilty pleas to all charges except the new count of rape, for which he is not yet required to enter a plea.
A previous court hearing heard Louise had been found tied up when officers attended the property.
Louise and Hannah Hunt had been shot with a crossbow and their mother Carol had been stabbed with a knife and suffered multiple injuries, the court was told.
Mr Hunt and his third daughter Amy previously issued a statement, which said: “The devastation we are experiencing cannot be put into words […] We would like to thank people for their kind messages and for the support we have received in recent days.”
In a further statement, John said: “Notwithstanding the horrid evil that’s swept through our lives, wreaking devastation on an unimaginable scale, the counter to that has been the messages of support. Amy, my eldest daughter, has been magnificently inspirational with her control and support for me, which I’m trying hard to replicate.”
Prosecutor David Burns said previously: “Police attended the property – they found the front door was open. They found Hannah Hunt lying near the doorway. She had been shot with a crossbow in the chest. They went into the property and they found Louise Hunt had been tied up – she had also been shot with a crossbow. They also found their mother Carol Hunt – she had been stabbed with a knife and suffered multiple injuries.”
Mr Hunt is understood to have been working for the BBC on the day of the incident, and reportedly returned home to discover his wife and two daughters had been fatally injured. Police were called to the property in Ashlyn Close, in northern Bushey, near Watford, just before 7pm that day.
