Man in court accused of crossbow attack murders

A man has appeared in court charged with the murders of a woman and two of her daughters in a crossbow attack at their home.

Carol Hunt, 61; Hannah Hunt, 28, and Louise Hunt, 25, were found fatally injured in Bushey, Hertfordshire, on 9 July.

Kyle Clifford, 26, from north London, was arrested after being found injured in a cemetery near his house in Enfield on 10 July, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.

The defendant, who was also charged with false imprisonment and two counts of possession of offensive weapons, was remanded in custody and is due to appear at the Royal Courts of Justice later.

Police had previously been unable to interview Mr Clifford while he received treatment for his injury in hospital, where he remained under arrest.

The victims were the wife and daughters of BBC racing commentator John Hunt.

A brief court hearing was told the weapons Mr Clifford was accused of having at the Hunt family home were an MX-405 compact crossbow and a 10-in (25cm) “butcher’s knife”.

Police and the ambulance service had been called to the property by Hannah Hunt, prosecutor David Burns said.

“Police attended the property – they found the front door was open,” Mr Burns said.

“They found Hannah Hunt lying in the doorway. She had been shot by a crossbow in the chest.

“They went into the property and they found Louise Hunt had been tied to a chair. She had also been shot with a crossbow.”

He added that Carol Hunt had suffered “multiple” knife wounds.

Mr Clifford, who appeared at court via video link from Kempston police station, in Bedfordshire, nodded when asked to confirm his name and address.

A fundraiser set up to support Mr Hunt and his surviving daughter, Amy, in the aftermath of the incident saw more than £120,000 in donations pledged.

In a previous statement, Mr Hunt and Amy said their devastation “cannot be put into words”.

Det Ch Insp Nick Gardner, of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “We have been working hard to gather as much evidence as possible and establish the full circumstances of what happened that day.

“Although it has taken some time to reach this stage, we can now move forward with the judicial process and seek justice for their family.”