Summary of the sentencing hearing
Kyle Clifford has been given a whole-life order for the murder and rape of his ex-partner, Louise Hunt, alongside the murders of her mother Carol and sister Hannah.
Clifford, 26, will never be released from prison after being sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court for the murders, which were committed last July. He was also sentenced to a concurrent 20-year sentence for raping Louise.
“You planned and contemplated killing all three of your victims,” the judge said as he delivered his sentencing remarks. He described the killer as a “jealous man soaked in self pity, who holds women in utter contempt”.
Clifford allegedly began plotting to attack Louise two days after she had ended their 18-month relationship because he was “enraged” by the rejection.
The court heard powerful victim impact statements from BBC racing commentator John Hunt, whose wife and two daughters were murdered by Clifford, Amy Hunt, Louise and Hannah’s older sister and Carol’s daughter, and Alex Klein, Hannah’s partner.
In his statement, John Hunt described Clifford as a psychopath disguised as an ordinary human being. “Whatever sentence you are about to receive, whatever misery lies ahead for you in the next 60 years, once your days on earth are done, on your dying day, there will be no release for you,” he said. “The screams of hell, Kyle. I can hear them faintly now. They are going to roll out the red carpet for you. At that point, when the person you could have been meets the person you are, you will realise your miserable fate will last for eternity.”
Amy Hunt - the eldest daughter - described Clifford as a “monster” who carried out “demonic” acts.
Alex Klein said of the triple killer: “You are a weak and insecure little boy who compulsively lied”, adding that his “soul will suffer for eternity”.
A prosecutor told the judge earlier in the hearing it was “no coincidence” Clifford had sought out podcasts by the self-styled misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate before the murders. Clifford had watched up to 10 videos of Tate in the lead-up to his crimes.
You can read more about what was said in the hearing today in this report filed by my colleague Ben Quinn who has been at Cambridge Crown Court since this morning.
Updated
Three innocent women were killed because Clifford could not 'accept rejection' - investigating officer
We have some more comments from Nick Gardner, the senior investigating officer in the case of triple murderer Kyle Clifford. He said that “three innocent women from the same family lost their lives simply because Clifford could not accept rejection or Louise (Hunt)’s right to leave their relationship”.
Speaking outside of Cambridge Crown Court, he continued:
There was nothing that Louise, Carol or Hannah (Hunt) could have done to predict the violence that ensued or to prevent it from happening.
They resisted Clifford’s attack with bravery and Hannah herself raised the alarm despite having suffered an injury that would later take her life.
Today’s sentence sends a message to men who perpetrate serious acts of violence against women.
You will be held accountable and you will face the full force of the law.
Prosecutors previously said Clifford became “enraged” when Louise ended their 18-month relationship, leading him to “carefully” plan the 9 July murders of Louise, Carol and Hannah Hunt. The court previously heard the murders were fuelled by the “violent misogyny promoted” by Andrew Tate, after it emerged that Clifford searched for his podcast less than 24 hours before the attacks.
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