Lifelong Prison Sentence for Triple Murderer in London
Kyle Clifford sentenced for the brutal murder of a BBC journalist's family, using a crossbow and knife.
A 26-year-old man has been sentenced to a whole life order by a British court for the murder of three family members of a BBC radio journalist.
The murders occurred on July 9, 2024, when the wife and two daughters of John Hunt, aged 61, 25, and 28, were found critically injured at their home in Bushey, North London, and subsequently died shortly after emergency services arrived.
The case has generated significant public outrage in the UK. Following a day-long manhunt, Kyle Clifford, the former boyfriend of one of the victims, was discovered wounded and in a serious condition in a cemetery in Enfield, approximately 20 kilometers from the murder scene.
On March 11, 2025, in his absence—having refused to appear in court—Clifford was sentenced to a whole life imprisonment, a rare sentence under English law.
In delivering the sentence, Judge Joel Bennathan disclosed that Clifford had meticulously planned the attack for about eleven days.
This included studying the movements of the father and husband of the victims, purchasing weapons, and checking the weather forecast on the day of the murders.
The investigation revealed that Hannah and Louise Hunt were killed by crossbow shots, while their mother, Carol Hunt, was fatally stabbed.
In addition to the murders, Clifford was also convicted of the rape of Louise Hunt, his ex-girlfriend.
After initially denying involvement in the murders, he eventually pleaded guilty at the end of January.
In reaction to Clifford's refusal to attend the sentencing, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized his absence, labeling him a coward for not facing the grieving families during the proceedings.
A new law is anticipated to be considered in Parliament that would compel a convicted defendant to appear in court when a judge delivers a sentence.
The murders occurred on July 9, 2024, when the wife and two daughters of John Hunt, aged 61, 25, and 28, were found critically injured at their home in Bushey, North London, and subsequently died shortly after emergency services arrived.
The case has generated significant public outrage in the UK. Following a day-long manhunt, Kyle Clifford, the former boyfriend of one of the victims, was discovered wounded and in a serious condition in a cemetery in Enfield, approximately 20 kilometers from the murder scene.
On March 11, 2025, in his absence—having refused to appear in court—Clifford was sentenced to a whole life imprisonment, a rare sentence under English law.
In delivering the sentence, Judge Joel Bennathan disclosed that Clifford had meticulously planned the attack for about eleven days.
This included studying the movements of the father and husband of the victims, purchasing weapons, and checking the weather forecast on the day of the murders.
The investigation revealed that Hannah and Louise Hunt were killed by crossbow shots, while their mother, Carol Hunt, was fatally stabbed.
In addition to the murders, Clifford was also convicted of the rape of Louise Hunt, his ex-girlfriend.
After initially denying involvement in the murders, he eventually pleaded guilty at the end of January.
In reaction to Clifford's refusal to attend the sentencing, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized his absence, labeling him a coward for not facing the grieving families during the proceedings.
A new law is anticipated to be considered in Parliament that would compel a convicted defendant to appear in court when a judge delivers a sentence.
