Latest news with #CarolHunt
National Post
26-06-2025
- National Post
BBC commentator whose family was murdered with a crossbow by his daughter's ex speaks out for the first time
John Hunt, a man whose wife and two daughters were murdered in a crossbow attack, is speaking out for the first time in an interview published by the BBC on Wednesday. Article content On July 9, 2024, Hunt's 61-year-old wife Carol, as well as his daughters, 25-year-old Louise and 28-year-old Hannah, were killed. The suspect was Louise's ex-boyfriend, Kyle Clifford, who was later arrested. He pleaded guilty, and in March, was convicted of fatally stabbing Carol before he raped Louise and then killed the sisters at their family home in Bushey, north of London, with a crossbow. He received three life sentences, the BBC reported. Article content Article content Article content Hunt, who is a BBC racing commentator, sat down with the publication alongside his third daughter, Amy. Article content Article content 'When it happened I thought, 'How on earth am I ever going to be able to care about anything ever again?'' he said. 'It's fine to sit with that thought in the wreckage of what was our personal disaster. But you come to realize that, with a little bit of work, you can find some light again.' Article content Hunt and Amy said they didn't want to speak out earlier because the intense, and sometimes inaccurate, media coverage after the murders 'added to their pain,' per the BBC. They didn't want their family to be 'defined by their deaths.' Article content 'From the moment I wake up, I say good morning to each of them,' said Hunt. 'Sometimes I say out loud to Hannah and Louise, 'Girls, sorry I can't be with you, I'm with your mum at the moment.' As I close my eyes at night, I chat to them as well. They're very close to me all the time.' Article content Amy revealed a touching memory with her sisters around two months before the horrific murders. She said they had gone out to dinner together and were so grateful for the lives they got to lead. They discussed how lucky they were to 'have had the parents we've had and the life we've had,' she said. Article content Article content My wife and daughters left behind a legacy of love, John Hunt tells BBC — Victoria Derbyshire (@vicderbyshire) June 26, 2025 Article content She told the BCC, at the time, there was no indication that Clifford was capable of such crimes. Although, the BBC reported, the relationship eventually 'started to sour' between Clifford and Louise. It ended in late June, when Louise broke up with him. Article content Article content Clifford went to the Hunt's family home on the day of the murders, reportedly to return some of Louise's belongings. He had a brief and cordial interaction with Carol, which was captured on the family's doorbell camera. He then followed Carol inside and stabbed her to death. When Louise arrived, her raped her and used a crossbow to kill her. Then, Hannah arrived and he killed her with a crossbow. Article content Before Hannah died, she texted her boyfriend and called police. Hunt said he believes Hannah's actions saved his life, as he was likely intended to be a victim of Clifford's as well.
Daily Mirror
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Law on crossbow sales to be tightened after spate of sickening attacks
People buying the dangerous weapons online will have to submit photo ID at the point of sale and again on delivery under a fresh crackdown on deadly crossbows by the Home Office The law on crossbow sales will be tightened after a spate of sickening attacks. People buying the dangerous weapons online will have to submit photo ID at the point of sale and again on delivery under a fresh crackdown. Plans to introduce a stringent two-step age verification system for retailers selling knives online did not originally include crossbows. But the Home Office has now widened its Crime and Police Bill to include the lethal weapons. Calls to clamp down on crossbows were renewed this week after two women were injured in an attack involving a crossbow and firearm in Headingley, Leeds, on Saturday. The government has previously come under pressure to tighten the law after vile killer Kyle Clifford murdered Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28, with a crossbow at their family home in Bushey, near Watford, last year. A Home Office minister said further action on how the Government plans 'to limit the availability and accessibility of crossbows in this country" will be published shortly. Archery's governing body has previously voiced concern that a crossbow ban might affect some archers who find using the equipment easier. At the moment it is only illegal to buy a crossbow if you're under 18, and there is no need to have a licence. However people can be jailed for up to four years for carrying one in public without "reasonable excuse". Ministers have faced calls to bring in licences for crossbows similar to those required by gun owners. In early 2024, the Tory government gathered evidence on whether to bring in greater controls on crossbows. Crime and Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson told the House of Commons yesterday: "We are very aware of concerns about the use of crossbows in violent attacks. The previous government held a call for evidence on licencing systems that could apply to crossbows last year to which they did not respond. "As part of our wider work to get dangerous and lethal weapons off Britain's streets, we will shortly be publishing our response to that consultation setting out how we plan to go further to limit the availability and accessibility of crossbows in this country." Labour 's Crime and Policing Bill includes a package of measures to strengthen the law on knife sales online, which together will be known as 'Ronan's Law'. It is named after Ronan Kanda, a 16-year-old who was stabbed to death with a 20-inch ninja sword that his killer had bought online. He was murdered as he walked home in Wolverhampton in 2022 in a horrific case of mistaken identity.
