The arrogant ex-soldier who turned into a triple killer

Former worker Kyle Clifford raped and murdered Louise Hunt, and killed her sister Hannah and parent Carol successful attacks described by constabulary arsenic "barbaric". What happened and what has emerged since?

Warning: This nonfiction contains details that immoderate radical whitethorn find distressing

Days earlier the attacks, Louise had ended an 18-month narration with Clifford.

She told Clifford, who she had met done a dating app, it was "sucking the beingness retired of me".

Her household were relieved. They did not similar the mode Clifford treated Louise, uncovering him disrespectful, arrogant, rude and "odd".

He had hidden relationships with different women from Louise, and went connected a dating tract moments aft receiving the connection ending theirs.

But little than a fortnight later, Louise, Hannah and Carol were dead, murdered by Clifford who had equipped himself and tricked his mode into the household location successful Bushey, Hertfordshire.

Senior investigating serviceman Det Ch Insp Nick Gardner said Clifford's behaviour "appears to person escalated astatine an unprecedented rate", and helium "plotted a meticulously planned onslaught connected Louise and members of her family".

Six days earlier the murders, Clifford, present 26, legally purchased a crossbow online, on with a cocking instrumentality and six bolts, for £350.

He besides bought a specializer butchering knife, rope, petrol cans and duct tape, and ordered an aerial pistol, which ne'er arrived.

The time earlier the killings, Clifford searched YouTube for a podcast from influencer and self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate.

When Clifford arrived astatine the family's location successful Ashlyn Close, a cul-de-sac, astatine lunchtime connected 9 July, helium checked the driveway to spot however galore vehicles were there.

He past searched for "horse racing today" connected his phone.

Police judge helium was trying to found if Louise's begetter John, a BBC racing commentator, was astatine home.

About 40 minutes later, Carol, 61, answered the doorway to Clifford, who pretended helium wanted to instrumentality immoderate of Louise's possessions.

"He besides asks Carol if John is home," said Det Ch Insp Gardner.

"Once inside, helium attacks Carol, sidesplitting her with the weapon helium had concealed successful his bag."

Meanwhile, Louise, 25, who ran a dog-grooming business, was moving successful a pod successful the garden.

"She is wholly unaware of the battle inflicted connected her mother, conscionable metres distant successful the household home," said the officer.

Clifford returned to his Seat Ibiza car to cod the crossbow, and went backmost into the house.

An hr later, Louise entered the house, wherever Clifford was waiting. He restrained and raped her.

He past waited much than 2 hours, adjacent texting John utilizing Louise's telephone to inquire erstwhile helium would beryllium home.

Once Hannah, 28, had returned home, helium killed Louise with the crossbow.

Hannah, inactive successful her beautician's workwear, entered and went upstairs, astatine archetypal unaware of the fearfulness unfolding.

Shortly afterwards, she texted her partner, urging him to telephone police.

Clifford past changeable her with the crossbow and fled. Fatally wounded, Hannah managed to telephone 999.

But erstwhile exigency services arrived a fewer minutes later, they were incapable to prevention her, and her sister and parent were dead.

Police aboriginal recovered the petrol cans bare successful the footwear of Clifford's car.

His thumbprint was recovered connected 1 of 3 bottles of vodka connected a sideboard successful the Hunts' home, and helium had besides searched connected the net whether intoxicant was flammable.

Although nary occurrence was started, the prosecution said helium had "clearly contemplated the usage of occurrence astatine immoderate constituent successful bid to destruct evidence".

Det Ch Insp Gardner said the killings were "barbaric" and a "completely unnecessary usage of unit simply owed to a break-up that [Clifford] should person handled better".

What followed was "the astir significant" manhunt successful Hertfordshire Police's caller history, according to section commandant Ch Supt Jon Simpson.

• 09:54 BST: Clifford goes to a plot centre with his mother, begetter and niece
• 13:07: He drives the 20 miles from his location successful Enfield, northbound London, to the Hunts' location successful Bushey
• 13:37: He arrives adjacent their home, checks the driveway and searches for "horse racing today" connected his telephone
• 14:32: Carol answers the doorway to Clifford. Once inside, helium kills her with the weapon concealed successful his bag. Louise, unaware of the assault, is moving successful the pod successful the garden
• 15:07: Clifford goes backmost to his car and collects the crossbow, hiding it nether a blanket
• 16:12: Louise enters the house, wherever Clifford is waiting. Using duct tape, helium restrains and rapes her. He past texts John utilizing Louise's telephone to inquire erstwhile helium volition beryllium home
• 18:50: Clifford shoots Louise with the crossbow astir the clip Hannah arrives home. Hannah, unware of what has happened, enters and goes upstairs
• 18:52: Hannah texts her partner, telling him to telephone police. Two minutes later, Clifford shoots her and leaves with the crossbow. Fatally injured, Hannah calls 999 but dies soon after
• 19:10: Emergency services get astatine the house. Carol and Louise Hunt are recovered dormant and unsuccessful resuscitation attempts are made connected Hannah

The unit took the antithetic measurement of telling the nationalist Clifford was believed to person a crossbow, and made a nonstop entreaty to him.

Specialist hunt teams and equipped constabulary officers were brought successful to way him down.

Nearly 24 hours later, helium was recovered successful a cemetery adjacent his family's Enfield home.

But arsenic officers approached, helium changeable himself with the crossbow, leaving him paralysed from the thorax down.

"If this was an effort to extremity his ain life, helium near it until the past imaginable accidental and meant that the officers that approached him were exposed to a immense magnitude of risk," said Ch Supt Simpson.

"Despite this, successful the moments pursuing his detention, they worked to prevention his life."

• A database of organisations successful the UK offering enactment and accusation with immoderate of the issues successful this communicative is disposable astatine BBC Action Line

Clifford spent weeks successful infirmary nether constabulary guard, earlier helium could yet beryllium interviewed - but his "no comment" answers gave officers small help.

Det Ch Insp Gardner said Clifford had shown a "complete inability and unwillingness... to really woody with [the break-up] appropriately".

He added: "Many different routes - go a amended idiosyncratic - helium knew were disposable to him, but helium failed to bash truthful and chose the people helium did."

Clifford had antecedently admitted murdering the 3 women, mendacious imprisonment and possessing violative weapons, but denied rape.

However, helium opted not to be his proceedings astatine Cambridge Crown Court, either successful idiosyncratic oregon via video.

During the hearing, details of Clifford's viewing of a video by Andrew Tate emerged.

Tate had described women arsenic "intrinsically lazy" and said determination was "no specified happening arsenic an autarkic female".

The prosecution had suggested Clifford had been motivated by the aforesaid benignant of "violent misogyny promoted by Tate".

However, the defence argued this worldly had excessively vague a nexus and was acold excessively prejudicial.

The justice agreed it was of constricted relevance and of "great imaginable prejudice", and that it should not beryllium enactment earlier the jury.

The tribunal heard Louise had told friends Clifford had a "nasty temper" and behaved successful an "aggressive manner".

Louise made a enactment connected her telephone 5 days earlier the murders, mounting retired however Clifford was "racist", had "commented helium did not similar transgender people" and had utilized "belittling language".

In the days earlier the killings, Clifford had searched for however to bargain a crossbow and had accessed pornography, authoritative Alison Morgan KC said.

This included a video of erstwhile HMP Wandsworth situation serviceman Linda De Sousa Abreu, who admitted having enactment with a captive past year.

She said his convulsive intentions were shown "through the usage of weapons and his intersexual preoccupations".

Clifford had attempted to rekindle his narration with Louise, but was rebuffed, she said.

"This rejection angered the defendant," she said.

"He was aggravated astatine Louise, but besides astatine the Hunt household generally, arsenic helium correctly assumed that friends and household members had advised Louise to extremity the narration with him."

In the lack of the jury, the prosecution argued the information that Clifford had "a fig of intersexual relationships" with different women showed contempt and a deficiency of respect toward Louise.

Jurors were shown footage of Clifford astatine the plot centre connected the time of the murders, during which helium received a call, which went to voicemail, from different pistillate helium was successful a narration with.

Clifford had been a trooper successful The Queen's Dragoon Guards, but near the Army aft 2 years successful 2022, without seeing progressive service.

His lone erstwhile enactment with constabulary had been successful narration to a tiny drugs substance and a combat helium was progressive in, and helium was not known to the unit for home violence.

He is not the lone murderer successful his family, however. His older member Bradley was jailed successful 2018 for sidesplitting a moped rider aft his "prized" Ford Mustang was damaged.

Neighbours successful Enfield told the BBC however the household "kept themselves to themselves".

Meanwhile, John Hunt and his surviving girl Amy person said their devastation "cannot beryllium enactment into words".

"They've shown immense bravery to enactment with america passim this period," said Det Ch Insp Gardner.

"Essentially they've mislaid implicit fractional of their household and it's intolerable for anyone to genuinely fathom however that would interaction connected those individuals, but they've been thing abbreviated of exceptional with maine and my team... and I'd similar to convey them for that."