In the days before her murder, Louise Hunt, daughter of BBC racing commentator John Hunt, shared a social media post about ‘women who leave’ toxic relationships
Louise Hunt shared a heartbreaking final tweet before her ex-boyfriend killed her alongside her mother Carol, 61, and sister Hannah, 28, in a horrific attack at their family home. Last July, the three women were brutally murdered in their family home in Bushey, Hertfordshire. Louise’s vile ex, Kyle Clifford, violently ended their lives just 13 days after she broke up with him.
Last week, Clifford, 26, was sentenced to life behind bars without the possibility of parole for his heinous crimes, and in a final insult to the Hunt family, he refused to attend the hearing. Louise, 25, had courageously ended their 18-month relationship two weeks before the massacre, and while Clifford appeared to be amicable, he secretly concocted a twisted plan to kill her and her family.
Kyle Clifford’s final texts to Louise Hunt show true extent of his depravity
Before her tragic murder, Louise shared a tweet on X, formerly Twitter, about praising “women who leave” and having “strength” before her death. She re-posted the message which read, “I admire women who leave. idgaf if you left after the 1st time or the 12th time I admire that s–t! idgaf if ppl was calling you dümb for 11 years but in the 12th year you decided you was done.
“It takes ALOT of strength to break a tie. it takes ALOT of self love to choose yo self,” the re-shared message added. The court heard that Clifford had become “enraged” when Louise called off their romance, leading him to “carefully” plot the murders.
In an emotional victim impact statement, her father said his beloved daughter had “conducted herself within a textbook, mature break-up on her part”. He said his daughter had sent Clifford a “gracious” final text after their face-to-face breakup, “thanking you for what was a wonderful year together, explaining how much she once loved you, that she never wanted any animosity to develop between you, and that she wanted you to take care of yourself”.
Clifford had replied to say thanks, that he loved her and “will always be here for you if you ever need me”. Mr Hunt added: “The difference was, we know now, that Louise meant every word, whereas you simply lied.” He told the court: “If you feel enough is enough, then it is.” In the lead-up to the devastating event, Louise had been visibly distressed by the end of her relationship, which even resulted in a car accident.
Neighbour Glyn Nicholas, 77, told MailOnline the split deeply affected Louise. She said: “Louise was a very nice girl. She ran a dog grooming business from the house. I heard that she split from a boyfriend last week and was very upset about it. So much so that she was driving home at some point last week and drove into a wooden telegraph pole not far from the house.”
Glyn continued, revealing the extent of the crash’s impact: “Another dog groomer – who is a friend of Louise’s – told me that her car door had caved in because of the crash. Who the boyfriend was, I don’t know, I never saw him.” A source, reportedly one of Louise’s friends, said Clifford put on a “nice guy” act but had been “controlling” her.
The heartbroken friend told the Daily Mail: “Kyle was controlling and used to ridicule Louise. In public, he made himself out to be a nice guy, but in private he was anything but. There hadn’t been any previous incidents of violence towards Louise – nothing that we knew about anyway – but he imposed himself on her.”
On July 9, 2024, at 1.48pm, Clifford parked up near their home and took a black rucksack, carrying a 10in butcher’s knife, to the front door. He told Carol he had written a card to say goodbye, before asking to return Louise’s possessions. Within a minute of stepping inside, he launched a violent attack on mum Carol and stabbed her eight times. At 3.07pm, he returned to his car to collect a crossbow, which he carried hidden under a white blanket, and waited for Louise to finish work.
At 4.12pm, he tied her up with duct tape and rope, raped her and shot her in her back with a crossbow. When her older sister Hannah returned home at 6.50pm, he fatally shot her too. She incredibly managed to make a 999 call and messaged her boyfriend to raise the alarm. Emergency services arrived at 7.10pm and she sadly died shortly after.
At Clifford’s sentencing, John moved the court to tears as he read aloud his incredibly touching victim impact statement aimed at the triple murderer and convicted rapist. “I hope women around the world will take Louise’s bravery as a shining beacon for their lives. If you feel enough is enough, then it is,” he said.
For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk.
