Kyle Clifford trial latest: Killer 'raped ex-partner' during triple murder of BBC commentator's family

Court breaks for lunch

The court has risen for a lunch break with the trial expected to continue at around 2pm.

The judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, tells jurors despite the "dreadful and shocking events" they must do their job "coolly and calmly".

Alison Morgan KC will continue to open the prosecution's case this afternoon.  

Scream heard after Clifford used 'rouse' to trick his way into family home

The court hears that when Kyle Clifford arrived at the family home he got out of his car to check how many of their vehicles were parked outside.

He returned to his car to search "horse racing today" on his phone to check where BBC commentator John Hunt was. 

Clifford also messaged "Sammy", a woman he was in a relationship with, to say: "Sorry Sam" before he drove closer to the address.

Jurors are now shown footage from his vehicle and doorbell cameras showing him, wearing a black tracksuit, taking a black rucksack out of the boot of his car. 

Inside was the 10-inch knife, says prosecutor Alison Morgan KC, while he is carrying a white plastic bag with possessions used as a "rouse" to gain access to the house.

Clifford approached the door just after 2.30pm on 9 July and the court hears a transcript of a conversation between him and Carol Hunt, described as a "careful plan to get himself inside the address".

He says: "Hey I’m just err dropping off some of err Louise's stuff."

She asks how he is, and he replies: "I'm good thank you, what's wrong, you look like..."

Mrs Hunt replies: "I've seen a ghost."

Clifford tells her he's started therapy as they discuss the relationship with her daughter.

He then asks for a plastic bag to put the stuff - including a dressing gown and a hoody - into, begins to take off his backpack and says "Here you go" as he steps inside.

Over the next three minutes a long female scream followed by a shorter scream, banging sounds and noise of a commotion, was heard as Clifford attacked her with the knife.

Jurors are told a "thank you" card for John and Carol Hunt was later found unopened. 

Inside it said "thank you so much for being a part of my life" and "your family have shown me so much love and kindness and I'm so grateful for everything".

Killer 'took card for ex-girlfriend's parents' to carry out triple murder

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC turns to the events of 9 July, the day of the attack, showing jurors a graphic of the Hunt family home and photographs of the layout. 

She also says a doorbell camera captured some of the audio of what happened. 

Ms Morgan says BBC racing commentator John Hunt went to work by train, while his wife stayed at home. 

Louise Hunt was working in a pod in the garden, where she ran her dog grooming business, while her sister Hannah Hunt went to work locally as a beautician. 

Kyle Clifford went to a garden centre and was in contact with a woman nicknamed "Sammy", with whom he was in a relationship, at 12.38pm. 

He sent a message saying: "Hey, I'm just taking time to myself" and she replied: "I've been worried sick".

The court hears from that point onwards he set off from his home to the Hunt family home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, and jurors are shown dashcam footage and a map of the journey.

The prosecutor says everything for the attack was in his vehicle, including the knife, a crossbow and crossbow bolts.

She says Clifford also had a white plastic bag and a card he had written for John and Carol Hunt. 

Killer went for night out days before triple murder

The court hears former soldier Kyle Clifford went for a night out in central London with an Army friend four days before the murders.

They went to bars and stayed overnight in a hotel. 

Clifford's friend, Benjamin Rees, said his behaviour was "quite normal" and the only thing he found strange was he left the hotel early on the morning of 6 July last year without saying goodbye. 

Trial resumes

The court is sitting again as Alison Morgan KC continues to outline the prosecution case to the jury.

Court rises for short break

The judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, has risen for a short break. 

Court is expected to resume at around 12.15pm, when the prosecution opening will continue. 

Killer made 'racist comments' and used 'belittling language', ex-girlfriend wrote

The court hears Louise Hunt created a note on her phone on 4 July last year called "when you're sad, Look!" detailing all the reasons she shouldn't be sad about ending the relationship. 

They included that Kyle Clifford's brother was in prison, his "family is a mess" and he made "racist comments".

She also wrote "he doesn't like transgenders, gets road rage" and uses "belittling language".

Other things on the list were that he "said he had a higher IQ than all my family" and that he would "tell me all the violent acts his dad and brother would do and find it funny".

Clifford bought duct tape and knife used in attack, court hears

The prosecutor is continuing to outline Kyle Clifford's alleged planning of the attack, including buying a crossbow, six bolts and a cocking device costing £357 on 3 July. 

He also ordered an airgun, which was not delivered, and accessed the Facebook profile of Louise Hunt's mother Carol Hunt, the court hears.

The court is played CCTV footage of Clifford, dressed in black with white trainers, on 4 July last year buying two green petrol cans from a branch of Halfords, which were later found empty in the boot of his car.

On the same day, he also bought two rolls of silver duct tape from B&Q, which was used to restrain Louise Hunt during the attack, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC says.

The jury is shown a grainy photograph on his phone from the same date showing a crossbow bolt embedded in a tree.

Louise and her sister Hannah Hunt were killed with a crossbow, while their mother was stabbed. 

On 5 July, Ms Morgan says, Clifford was researching knives and bought a "high-level" butchery knife used to murder Carol Hunt for £89 through Amazon. The weapon has never been recovered.

Killer searched for crossbows and pornography while planning attack

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC is now telling jurors how Kyle Clifford started planning the attack after the break-up on 26 June last year

She says he created a note on his phone, which appeared to be a suicide letter to his family, though he made no attempt to harm himself before the murders.

In the letter, which was modified up to 7 July, he wrote "this is my decision just to be at peace... I love you all so much".

He also said "I'm so sorry I didn't give myself a chance to move past this... find my future wife and have the children I've always wanted" and  "I don't want to live my life without her". 

Jurors are shown CCTV footage, showing Clifford wearing black shorts, a T-shirt and white socks and trainers, buying a 30m length of rope on 28 June from a branch of Toolstation near his home in Enfield, north London. 

The prosecutor says the rope - a "makeshift noose", but not a "genuine attempt" to take his own life - was found where he was arrested at a cemetery in Enfield.

She says he conducted internet searches for crossbows two days later and on the same night was searching for videos showing a Wandsworth prison officer having sexual activity with an inmate and a pornographic website.

Ms Morgan says this shows a "very clear indication of the violence intended through the use of weapons and his sexual preoccupation". 

Clifford 'turned on waterworks' after break-up - as texts read out in court

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC is continuing to outline messages between Louise Hunt and Kyle Clifford, showing she was "clearly upset" by remarks he had made. 

He sent messages including "further criticism", she says, including one in which Clifford told her: "You can go and find Mr Perfect." 

She told him she was always "upset" and the relationship was "sucking the life out of me", adding: "I cried far too many times".

Clifford sent a further message, saying: "I honestly can't think of doing life without you, it makes me sick and is just bringing me to tears thinking about it."

The court hears she agreed to meet Clifford later on 24 June last year for a walk together, while her sister Hannah Hunt waited near by.

After the meeting, Hannah messaged her own boyfriend to say: "Yeah she's okay. He's obvs turned on the water works and has now made her 'confused'. She’s taking a few days to think about it." 

The next morning she asked for "time to think" but on 26 June last year, Louise sent a message saying: "I just feel right now I owe it to myself to take some space and walk away for my own sanity and health."

She ended her message saying: "I never want there to be anything nasty between us ever. Take care of yourself always please."

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC says that in a response 10 minutes later, Clifford said: "Thank you for the clarity so we can both start our healing process."

Triple killer 'had relationships with other women'

The jury is told that Kyle Clifford hid relationships with two other women he worked with while he was with Louise Hunt, including one that was still ongoing at the time of the murders.

She broke up with him two weeks before the attack after they went to a wedding of a friend in Scarborough, the court hears.

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC is taking jurors through a timeline, including messages sent between Louise and Clifford.

She says one of her friends, Mary Hammond, saw Clifford behaving in a "rude manner" at the event, which she saw as the "catalyst" for the break-up.

He implied he had "slept with a number of people at the wedding, which upset Louise" and made a series of "patronising comments" to her, including about her ability to use an oven, she says.

Louise sent him a message on 23 June last year, the day they got back from the wedding, saying "we definitely need to have a conversation".

Clifford said in a string of replies he wasn't going to "take s***" from her and "I'll be damned if I ever beg someone to love me for who I am", the court hears.

Ms Morgan tells jurors the messages are relevant because they suggest they weren't together and Clifford is expected to suggest they had sex on that date. 

Clifford described as 'disrespectful, rude and arrogant' - with 'nasty temper'

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC is now telling the jury about the background to the murders. 

She says Louise Hunt, 25, lived at home with her family, including her sister Hannah Hunt, a beauty therapist, her mother Carol Hunt and her father, the BBC racing commentator John Hunt. 

He has one surviving daughter, Amy.

Mr Hunt was working on the day of the attack, a fact that was checked by Kyle Clifford, who had searched online to see what racing events were going on.

Louise ran a dog grooming business called Groom and Glow from a pod in the garden and was described by friends as being a "caring, positive and happy person", who was "hard-working" the court hears.

Louise met Kyle Clifford on a dating website and they were in a relationship for around 18 months, which concerned her friends and family, the jury is told.

One friend said Louise told her Clifford had a "nasty temper" and sometimes "behaved in an aggressive manner", while a family member Emma Ledgard said she found him "odd", the prosecutor says.

She says Hannah Hunt told Ms Ledgard the family found him "disrespectful, rude and arrogant" and hoped the relationship would come to an end.

Ms Morgan tells jurors that the "firm rejection" of Louise ending the relationship and rebuffing his attempts to get back together "angered" Clifford and provides the "context and motive" for the attack on 9 July last year.

Triple killer raped ex-girlfriend in 'act of spite', court told

The jury is told Kyle Clifford, 26, has previously pleaded guilty to murdering his former partner Louise Hunt, 25, her mother Carol Hunt, 61, and her sister Hannah Hunt, 28.

He has also admitted the false imprisonment of Louise, who was restrained, as well as having the crossbow and a 10-inch knife used in the attack.

Prosecutor Alison Morgan says he is alleged to have raped Louise, which he denies, during the "course of this prolonged incident of violence".

"It was a violent, sexual act of spite, before he then killed her," she says.

Clifford 'committed acts of extreme violence' after break-up

The trial has started at Cambridge Crown Court.

Alison Morgan KC is opening the prosecution case, telling the jury Kyle Clifford committed acts of "extreme violence" against his former partner Louise Hunt and members of her family at their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, on 9 July last year.

They included murder, false imprisonment and rape, she says. 

Louise had broken up with him towards the end of June and she "rebuffed" his efforts to rekindle the relationship, she says.

The rejection "angered" Clifford, who was cross at her and her family as he rightly assumed they had advised her to end the relationship, the court hears.

Ms Morgan says "he set about planning an attack" on the Hunt family, buying weapons and equipment, shortly after she sent messages ending their relationship.

"The attack was carefully planned and executed," she says, which involved Clifford deceiving Louise's mother Carol Hunt to gain access to the family home, followed by "a brutal knife attack" on her.

He then waited for his ex-girlfriend to return, "before restraining, raping and ultimately murdering her with a crossbow", the prosecutor continues.

"He then killed Louise's sister Hannah Hunt with the same crossbow, when she returned to the property after work."

Triple killer chooses not attend rape trial

Yesterday a 14-member jury panel, including nine women and five men, were sworn in to hear the opening of the case before the trial continues with 12 jurors.

The judge Mr Justice Bennathan told them that Kyle Clifford, who is now a wheelchair-user, has chosen not to attend his trial but that they "must not assume he is guilty because he is not here".

He also said that any thoughts that "he must be guilty" of the charge of rape because he has pleaded guilty to three murders or questioning "why should we give him the benefit of any doubt" would be "fundamentally wrong".

"Anyone who is accused of a crime is entitled to a fair trial," he said.

Friends and family of the victims, including BBC and Sky Sports racing commentator John Hunt, are attending the trial and following proceedings from the public gallery. 

Clifford pleaded guilty to murders in January

Kyle Clifford pleaded guilty in January to murdering the wife and two daughters of racing commentator John Hunt in a crossbow attack.

Clifford, 26, from Enfield, was accused of stabbing Carol Hunt, 61, to death and fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend Louise, 25, and Hannah Hunt, 28, with a crossbow at their family home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, on 9 July last year.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of an offensive weapon, alongside the murder charges. 

Clifford is standing trial accused of raping Louise Hunt during the triple murder, a charge he denies.

-SKY NEWS