Daughter of BBC star was 'tied to chair and shot dead with crossbow' alongside sister

‌BBC racing commentator John Hunt's daughter was discovered tied to a chair and shot dead with a crossbow alongside her sister, a court has heard.

Kyle Clifford, 26, has today been charged with the murders of Carol, Louise and Hannah Hunt on July 9. Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard that, when officers attended the property in Bushey, Hertfordshire, Louise had been found tied to a chair.

The court was told that Louise and Hannah had been shot with a crossbow - and their mother Carol Hunt had been stabbed with a knife and suffered multiple injuries.

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Prosecutor David Burns said: "Police attended the property – they found the front door was open. They found Hannah Hunt lying near the doorway. She had been shot with 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. They also found their mother Carol Hunt – she had been stabbed with a knife and suffered multiple injuries."

As reported by the Mirror, Clifford has been remanded into custody to appear at the Crown Court, sitting at the Royal Courts of Justice on Tuesday afternoon.

Lisa Ramsarran, chief crown prosecutor for CPS Thames and Chiltern, said: “Our thoughts remain with the Hunt family and all those who have been affected by this tragic incident. “As criminal proceedings are active, there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online that could prejudice the defendant’s right to a fair trial.”

Mr Hunt is understood to have been working for the BBC on the day of the incident. He reportedly returned home to discover his wife and two daughters had been fatally injured. Police were called to the property in Ashlyn Close, in northern Bushey, near Watford, just before 7pm that day.

Clifford, 26, was discovered wounded in an Enfield graveyard the following day and taken by ambulance for medical treatment at a trauma centre. Hertfordshire Constabulary said no shots were fired by officers who found him at the Lavender Hill Cemetery.

BBC racing commentator Mr Hunt and his third daughter Amy thanked members of the public for their messages of support during an "extremely difficult time" in the aftermath.

They said: “The devastation that we are experiencing cannot be put into words. We would like to thank people for their kind messages and for the support we have received in recent days. These have provided great comfort to us for which we are very grateful. As you can imagine, this is an extremely difficult time for us, and we need time and space to come to terms with what has happened and start the grieving process."

At a vigil held in July, Lea Holloway, 60, a childhood friend of wife Carol Hunt, described her as a "beautiful person" and paid tribute to "lovely girls" Louise and Hannah.

Speaking outside St James’ Church, she said: “We grew up together and were pregnant at the same time. This is the stuff nightmares are made of. I was there the night she met John (Hunt). It was in a nightclub in Hemel Hempstead. We went out together, went to birthdays and events. It’s very difficult. She was the nicest, kindest, sweetest person you could ever meet. A beautiful person.”

Ms Holloway continued: “It’s the thing of nightmares. I feel for their eldest daughter and John (Hunt). I can’t imagine what it would be like."

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