This is the moment Kyle Clifford breaks down in tears as detectives quiz him about a suicide note he wrote just days before brutally killing his ex, her mother and her sister.
Ex-serviceman Clifford, 26, was today found guilty of raping Louise Hunt, 25, in a “violent act of spite” before killing her with a crossbow. Cambridge Crown Court heard the Andrew Tate-obsessed killer seemed to accept the “amicable” break-down of their 18-month relationship when she ditched him last year. But for 13 days he plotted brutal revenge, amassing a kill kit including a £299 Hori-Xone Komet MXT-405 crossbow, a 10ins butcher’s knife, duct tape and rope.
He is said to have accessed low-level misogynistic porn after the break-up. And detectives today revealed he had considered suicide and had tried to book an appointment for therapy.
After his arrest, cowardly Clifford refused to answer questions about the bloodbath on July 9, answering “no comment” during interview. But video released today – after he was found guilty of rape – shows the killer breaking down in tears as an officer from Hertfordshire Constabulary probes him on a note on his mobile.
As cops read a section in which Clifford wrote a direct message to his family, telling them to “take care of each other”, Clifford began to cry. Asked if he can continue, he nods his head. Soon after the detectives ask him why he felt it was fair that he chose to deprive Carol, Louise and Hannah their futures in such a barbaric act of violence.
In a suicide note on his phone, he sent personal messages to all his family members. In a paragraph with the headline, “To myself”, he is said to have written: “I don’t want to live my life without her, I don’t want to experience new things. Nothing I can think of can make me happy, I know I could have gone to therapy, found my faith, become a new, better person, I simply don’t want to.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t wait to move on and find my future wife, have the children I always wanted. I’m sorry Kyle.”
He also made disturbing notes on his phone where he said: “I could be a better person, I could find religion, could be a better man, could be all these things, but I simply choose not to.” In another section, he wrote: “Please don’t think of this as me throwing my life away. I have lived and I am grateful for everything and everyone who has been a part of it.
“It is my time to leave and be at peace, as this is ultimately what I want. I know you will all have so many questions, and wish you could have done something different to prevent this. However none of you have failed and there is simply nothing any of you could have done.
“This is just my decision to be at peace. You all have to take care of each other and speak to each other as that will be the best thing for you all. I love you all so much.”
Speaking after Clifford was found guilty of raping Louise as he held her captive, Det Chief Insp Nick Gardner said: “He is an entirely unremarkable individual. He did not come across as highly intelligent and motivated.”
The break-up appeared to be amicable. Clifford acknowledged her text ending their relationship and said he accepted it was over. Dog-lover Louise – who ran her own dog grooming business – even messaged Clifford to tell him she was sorry his dog died after they broke up.
But she did not know that while they had been together, Clifford had connected with two other women he worked with. Police discovered one of these women considered herself to be Clifford’s girlfriend and neither of them knew about Louise.
Det Chief Insp Gardner said: “Throughout the course of the investigations, Clifford has not explained his reasons and motivations for his actions or acknowledged the great pain and loss he has inflicted on others. He did leave a series of notes on his phone before the murders that gave an indication of his mindset.
“He clearly knew there were healthy ways of dealing with the breakup. However he chose not to take those paths. He simply ‘didn’t want to do that’. The only time Clifford showed any emotion during his interviews was when the subject was about himself.
“He showed no remorse for his actions, or the impact of them on others. We are of the belief that the level of planning and calculation demonstrated in this attack, shows that Clifford was determined to kill. There was nothing any of his victims could have done to foresee or prevent Clifford’s actions.
“There is no history of abuse that we are aware of in this case. Clifford’s behaviour seeks to have escalated at an unprecedented rate following the breakup of the relationship. Clifford is clearly a dangerous man and a threat to the safety of others.”
Clifford demonstrated an “unprecedented” level of “violence against women and girls”, with a top cop saying: “They are totally shocking.” Chief Supt John Simpson – who led the manhunt for Clifford after the murders – today paid tribute to the victims’ family “who have shown incredible bravery throughout this horrendous period and continue to do so”.
He added: “We cannot begin to imagine the intense grief and pain brought upon them as a result of what happened.”
After the murders, Hertfordshire Police took the unusual step of naming and picturing Clifford as they desperately tried to hunt down Britain’s most wanted man at the time. The evil killer was arrested around 36 hours later after being found in the Lavender Hill Cemetery, in Enfield, with self-inflicted injuries.
Dramatic footage showed the fugitive being stretchered away from the scene before he was bundled into the back of an ambulance by armed police and paramedics. Chief Supt Simpson said: “As officers approached Clifford, who was concealed in undergrowth, he deployed the crossbow this time hitting himself in the chest area, causing serious injuries.
“If this was an attempt to end his own life, he left it to the last possible opportunity and meant that the individuals who approached him were exposed to a huge amount of risk. Despite this, in the moments following his detention, they worked to save his life.”
Praising his officers’ “bravery”, Chief Supt Simpson said Clifford required “extensive 24/7 police guard” as he fought for life in hospital. He said: “Although he is now paralysed from the chest down, we could not simply leave a triple murder suspect to recuperate unsupervised. This is the longest daily demand in policing in Hertfordshire in recent history.”
Police are unsure exactly what Clifford planned to do when arriving at Louise’s family home. He had checked the racing fixtures to see if her father would be at home. Det Chief Insp Nick Gardner said you could read that as either he wanted the dad to be out so nobody would intervene, or he wanted the father to come home so he could kill the entire family.
But the checks he made regarding whether alcohol was flammable suggested he intended to burn the property and torch the evidence of what he had done. In January, Clifford admitted to murdering Louise Hunt, her sister Hannah, 28, in a bloodbath in Bushey, Herts.
At Cambridge Crown Court the security guard also admitted stabbing their mum, Carol, 61, in their family home on July 9 last year. Clifford also admitted false imprisonment after tying Louise up and possession of a 10-inch butcher’s knife and a crossbow.
He will be sentenced at a later date.
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
