The man accused of murdering BBC star John Hunt’s wife and two daughters was accused of the rape of one of his victims today.
Kyle Clifford, 26, had already been charged with the murders of Carol Hunt, 61, and her children Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25.
He pleaded not guilty today to the murder charges and to two counts of carrying an offensive weapon and one court of the false imprisonment of Louise.
The defendant was not asked for a plea in relation to the alleged rape of Louise.
Police officers raced to the family home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, on July 9 and discovered the sisters had both been shot in the chest with a crossbow, an earlier hearing was told.
Carol was said to have died from stab wounds to her chest and abdomen.
Clifford was arrested the day after following a nationwide manhunt. He was found injured in a cemetery near his home in Enfield, North London.
He was subsequently charged with the three counts of murder, false imprisonment and two counts of possession of offensive weapons, namely a crossbow and ten-inch butcher’s knife.
A court artist’s sketch of Kyle Clifford appearing via videolink at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on September 17
John Hunt is pictured with his wife Carol, who was killed alongside two of their two daughters
Hannah Hunt was killed alongside her mother and sister in the crossbow attack in Bushey
Louise Hunt (pictured), sister of Hannah Hunt and daughter of Carol and John Hunt, was killed
Racing commentator Mr Hunt, who has another daughter, Amy, bravely returned to work 60 days after the tragic incident.
Clifford appeared at Cambridge Crown Court by videolink from a room at HMP Belmarsh today.
Dressed in a red jumper and sitting in a wheelchair, he spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.
Mr Justice Johnson adjourned the case ahead of a trial due to start at the court on March 3.
During a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in September, prosecutor David Burns described how Hannah made a tragic last 999 call before she died.
‘Police were called by Hannah Hunt… the call was cut off,’ he said. ‘[The] call was re-established to call an ambulance before the call was cut off again.
‘Police arrived at the address to find Hannah by the door, shot in the chest with a crossbow.
‘Louise was tied [up] and had also been shot with a crossbow. And Carol had been stabbed with a knife and suffered multiple injuries.
A photo issued by Hertfordshire Police of Kyle Clifford, 26, who has been charged with murder
Friends leave flowers on Ashlyn Close in Bushey, Hertfordshire, after the attack on July 11
‘All three were treated at the scene but all three passed away.’
Officers were unable to question Clifford at first as he was receiving treatment for his injury in hospital, where he remained under arrest. He was charged on September 16.
The false imprisonment charge states the defendant ‘assaulted and unlawfully and injuriously imprisoned Louise Hunt and detained her against her will’.
Speaking after Clifford was first charged, Detective Chief Inspector Nick Gardner, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: ‘Over the past couple of months, we have been working hard to gather as much evidence as possible and establish the full circumstances of what happened that day.
‘Today, we have managed to secure charges against Kyle Clifford in connection with the murders of Carol, Hannah and Louise Hunt.
‘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.’
Lisa Ramsarran, chief crown prosecutor for Crown Prosecution Service’s Thames and Chiltern region, said at the time: ‘The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised Hertfordshire Constabulary to charge Kyle Clifford with three counts of murder following the deaths of Carol, Louise and Hannah Hunt in Bushey on Tuesday, July 9.
Mourners attend a service at St James’s Church in Bushey on July 11 following the incident
A view of the scene on July 11 on Ashlyn Close in Bushey, where the Hunt family lived
‘Mr Clifford, 26, who was later found by police in Enfield, has also been charged with two counts of possession of an offensive weapon and one count of false imprisonment.
‘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 returned to work for the BBC in Brighton on September 9.
In a tribute to the three victims, he and Amy said: ‘The devastation that we are experiencing cannot be put into words.’
In a further statement read to Sky Sports Racing viewers by his colleague, Matt Chapman, Mr Hunt spoke of his ‘magnificently inspirational’ surviving daughter.
‘Notwithstanding the horrid evil that’s swept through our lives, wreaking devastation on an unimaginable scale, the counter to that has been the breathtaking messages of support, some of which are still to be read,’ he said.
‘Amy, my eldest daughter, has been magnificently inspirational with her control and support for me, which I am trying, trying so hard, to replicate.
‘Every message has felt so important, the same as a reassuring hug. We know people are worried about us. We will get through this.’
An inquest was formally opened into the case in July but adjourned until the end of criminal proceedings.
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