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After prosecutors slammed triple killer Kyle Clifford as a misogynistic partner, relationship and dating expert Charlotte Ball shared some red flags to look out for
Following the shocking revelation that killer Kyle Clifford’s murder spree was “fuelled” by “violent misogyny” promoted by Andrew Tate, an expert has revealed the signs to look out for if you think you might be dating a misogynist.
The 26-year-old murdered his ex-partner Louise Hunt, her sister Hannah and mother Carol in a brutal triple murder in their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, and in a witness statement, a friend of Louise shared Clifford’s interest in influencer Tate, a self-described misogynist, during his 18-month relationship.
She outlined how Clifford had shared a video of the influencer showing animals being drugged. In addition, the court heard that Clifford had searched online for Tate’s podcast on 8 July, the night before the attacks in Bushey.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC called Tate a ‘poster boy’ for misogyny, and experts are worried that the influence he is having is leading to more men becoming controlling and possessive.
Tate responded to the reports, calling Clifford an “idiot”. He told The Sun: “It’s a clown show. Anyone with a brain knows it’s completely unfair. I’m sure this idiot who did this disgusting act also listened to music. Do you blame the people who he was listening to the songs of? This is f***ing stupid, it’s a clown show.”
The killings happened after Louise had ended her relationship with Clifford, with prosecutors saying he became “enraged” when Louise ended their 18-month relationship, leading him to “carefully” plan the murders. Charlotte Ball, relationship expert and co-founder of dating agency Bond The Agency, spoke to Daily Mirror about the red flags to look out for to avoid misogynistic men.
Charlotte said: “Misogynistic men believe women to be inferior and so when dumped they often experience rage and anger towards their previous partner.”
The expert said men’s misogynistic attitudes (i.e. dislike or contempt for women) is associated with men’s perpetration of physical and or sexual violence against women and for this reason, they are a dangerous choice of partner, and added: “If you are dating a misogynist, he may show an unprompted hatred, dislike, and prejudice toward women generally. He would not respect them or value them as being equal to men. In a relationship, this equates to an unbalanced power dynamic.”
While some misogynists are easily recognisable, Charlotte said there is an “alarming” number of men who are misogynists but unfortunately for their female partners, fall under the radar as they keep this side of them well hidden.
These men who hide it easier may do it as a ploy to disarm potential partners, and may be “incredibly complimentary to the object of their desire” Charlotte explained. They tend to “exude charm and be incredibly chivalrous, but this mask will soon slip once they believe they have power over their partner.”
Then, they will try to control them and not just in terms of appearance, but this control will extend into all areas of life including job, diet and – most harmful of all – the contact she has with friends and family.
But thankfully, there are some behaviours that will betray this side of them, according to the expert. These include:
- Objectifying women based on their looks. This includes catcalling, collecting trophy girlfriends and serial cheating.
- Viewing women as disposable entities whose opinions and feelings don’t count. In their mind, women fall into two categories: they are either there to satisfy his sexual needs or be a mother to his children (This was defined by Freud as the Madonna-Whore complex).
- Agreeing with traditional gender stereotypes.
- Disliking/resenting women who are successful.
In an emotional victim impact statement, Louise’s father, BBC racing commentator John Hunt, said his daughter left Clifford after saying “enough is enough”.
“I hope women round the world will take Louise’s bravery as a shining beacon for their lives,” he said. “If you feel enough is enough, then it is.”
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