Misogyny is an epidemic fuelled by social media, Amy Hunt tells BBC in first interview

BBC News

5 hours ago

Amy Hunt, whose mother and two sisters were murdered in their own home last year, has told the BBC there is an "epidemic" of misogyny in society that has "the most horrific, devastating consequences".In her first interview since the murders of her mum, Carol, and sisters, Hannah and Louise, Amy say the UK "should be very concerned" about sexist, hateful content on social media - calling on media platforms, people in power, schools and "every single one of us" to do something about it.She tells the BBC people are "slowly waking up" to the links between hate posted on social media and violence against women by men in real life.The man who killed her loved ones was Kyle Clifford, her youngest sister's ex-boyfriend. The attacks came two weeks after Louise ended their 18-month relationship.
Amy describes Clifford as a man filled with hatred, self-loathing, and a deep insecurity. "It's very clear he hates women," she says. "But what I often say is, he doesn't hate women as much as he hates himself."She says there is "a serious obligation as a society to change men's behaviour, because this is a man's issue - it is not a woman's issue".Amy has been speaking to the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire alongside her father, racing commentator John Hunt.Watch: John and Amy Hunt's interview with BBC's Victoria DerbyshireThe pair describe the legacy of love Carol, Hannah and Louise have left. John says it is this that has helped sustain them through their trauma and grief. The three women remain a constant presence in their lives, he says.Amy adds that her mother and sisters were "the best of us" and says "the world is a much emptier place without them".Clifford fatally stabbed 61-year-old Carol in July last year after he followed her into her home, in Bushey, Hertfordshire, on the pretext of bringing over some of his former partner Louise's belongings.He then lay in wait for Louise, 25, before raping her, and using a crossbow to shoot both her and her sister Hannah, 28.You can watch the full interview, Standing Strong: The John and Amy Hunt interview, with Victoria Derbyshire at 21:00 BST on BBC1 and on iPlayer
In March this year, he was sentenced to three whole-life orders, meaning he will never be released from prison.John and Amy strongly reject reports in some media that there were clear signs of abuse by Clifford during his relationship with Louise.Prosecutors in the case did, however, say Clifford's actions had been fuelled by the "violent misogyny" promoted by controversial social media personality Andrew Tate, whose videos he had watched in the days before the murders.Clifford had searched for Tate's podcast the day before carrying out the attack.The court was told it was no coincidence that he had turned to such content before carrying out the violence. Amy says she believes there was an "undeniable link".But she also says any suggestion that Clifford was not dangerous, or that he only became capable of murder after watching misogynistic content, is "ridiculous". She says, however, we live in a society that "emboldens misogyny" and "allows misogyny to fester"."It's not just Andrew Tate, there are many subsets of Andrew Tate on social media who are spouting the same misogynistic hate - that is an undeniable fact and we should be very concerned about it."
She feels misogyny is "the acceptable form of extremism" on social media platforms."We've got a serious issue on our hands, and we don't give it the attention it deserves until it forces its way into your life, like it has ours," she says.Amy says the minute Clifford left their home on the day of the incident, "my mum, Hannah and Louise became a statistic. They became victims of Kyle Clifford." She wants "to breathe life back into my mum, Hannah and Louise as fully-rounded people".When sentencing Clifford in March, the judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, described him as a "jealous man soaked in self-pity, who holds women in utter contempt". The attacks, the judge added, were "brutal and cowardly".Reflecting on these words, John says: "I know it's difficult to hear, but it's worth remembering that he killed Carol in the most brutal way, and [he] still had choices after that.
"He didn't choose to say, 'oh my God, what have I done? I've got to get out of here'. His choice then was to say, 'I've killed Carol, and now I'm going to sit and wait for an hour and a half. I'm going to kill Louise as well, and whatever time Hannah turns up, [do the] same'."The amount of time that day, on 9 July, he would have just been sitting there making a conscious decision to do the next step. It's impossible for us to comprehend, isn't it?"He says schools should teach boys to respect women and girls much earlier than they currently do. Once boys start viewing dangerous, misogynistic content online, he adds, "they're already on the path to doom".Amy says she believes misogynist influencers "don't care" about the men and boys who watch their content."Who are the people that do care about the men in our society? It's the people who love them, the people who know them," she says. "It's a question of what sort of world are we comfortable living in."If you've been affected by some of the issues raised in this story details of support are available at BBC Action Line.