Nearly a year after the devastating murders of his wife and two daughters, BBC racing commentator John Hunt has spoken publicly for the first time, sharing a deeply emotional account of how the love of his family continues to sustain him and his surviving daughter, Amy. The tragic events unfolded on July 9, 2024, in their quiet cul-de-sac home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, when Kyle Clifford, the ex-partner of Louise Hunt, 25, brutally ended the lives of Louise, her sister Hannah, 28, and their mother Carol, 61.
In a heartfelt interview with the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire, John and Amy opened up about the legacy of love left behind by Carol, Louise, and Hannah—a legacy that has helped them navigate the immense trauma and grief since that fateful day. "From the moment I wake up, I say good morning to each of them," John said. "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." The daily conversations with his lost loved ones reveal a man holding onto their presence in the only way he can.
Amy echoed her father's sentiment, emphasizing their wish to ensure that Carol, Hannah, and Louise are remembered as fully-rounded people, not just victims. "My mum, Hannah, and Louise became a statistic. They became victims of Kyle Clifford," she explained. "I want to breathe life back into my mum, Hannah, and Louise as fully-rounded people." The family’s decision to speak publicly now stems from a desire to correct the many inaccuracies that flooded initial media reports, which only deepened their pain.
The Hunt family was known for its closeness and happiness. John recalled a peaceful evening just weeks before the murders when the three sisters went out for sushi together. Amy recounted their conversation about how lucky they’d been as a family. John described their life as "one of complete happiness—awash with it, really." Carol encouraged John to pursue his dream of becoming a racing commentator, a career he embraced after leaving the police force. Louise ran a dog-grooming business from a pod in the garden, while Hannah worked in aesthetics and beauty. Their lives were intertwined with love, laughter, and shared experiences.
However, beneath this facade of normality, cracks appeared in Louise’s relationship with Clifford. The couple had been together for 18 months before Louise ended things at the end of June 2024. Less than two weeks later, Clifford arrived at the family home under the guise of returning some of Louise’s belongings. Doorbell footage captured Carol opening the door and offering Clifford some gentle advice, encouraging him to change his ways in future relationships. Clifford agreed, seemingly cordial, and followed Carol inside. It was then that he stabbed her multiple times, killing her in a brutal knife attack.
Clifford then waited for Louise to return from her dog-grooming pod. When she did, he restrained, raped, and murdered her with a crossbow. Later, when Hannah came home from work, Clifford shot her with the crossbow as well. In her final moments, Hannah managed to send a message to her boyfriend and call 999, providing crucial details about the attack and the perpetrator. John believes Hannah’s bravery saved his life. "Police officers of 30 years' experience had their breath taken away by how brave she was, how she was able to think so clearly in that moment, to know what she needed to do," he said. "I said it in court and I said many, many times, her doing that has given me life. And I’ve used that to re-ground myself on a daily basis." He added, "I get to live. Hannah gave me that, and I’ve got to treat it as a gift from her."
Despite the horror of the crimes, John and Amy strongly reject media portrayals suggesting Louise was in an abusive or controlling relationship with Clifford. "Did we have any indication that this man was capable of stabbing my mother, of tying Louise up, of raping Louise, of shooting Louise and shooting Hannah? Absolutely not," Amy said emphatically. John added, "He never once hit her. He was in the house an awful lot in that 18 months—I never heard raised voices once. There were no obvious alarms that anything was wrong." The family described Clifford as immature and inconsiderate, bad at handling conflict, but nothing that would hint at the monstrous acts he would commit. Their relationship, for those on the outside, appeared ordinary, even happy, with moments of giggling, cuddling, cooking together, and holidays.
The trial revealed Clifford became enraged when Louise ended the relationship and carefully planned the attack. He was sentenced to a whole-life order at Cambridge Crown Court in March 2025 after pleading guilty to the murders and was later convicted of raping Louise in a violent act of spite. Clifford refused to attend his sentencing hearing, a decision Amy described as further evidence of a system that "consistently prioritises the perpetrator," which she called "traumatising."
John and Amy also highlighted the shortcomings of the criminal justice system. They praised the police officers, family liaison officers, their barrister, and the compassionate judge who supported them, but lamented that the system itself is "clearly not fit for purpose." On the day Clifford appeared at magistrates' court, their family liaison officers were absent, and details of the murders were revealed to them for the first time, adding to their distress. Amy learned about Hannah's final 999 call from a newspaper headline. When they raised concerns with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), they were handed a complaint form and told to return it within 28 working days—a response they felt was inadequate given the gravity of their loss. Additionally, a hearing was postponed because the prison transport failed to bring Clifford to court.
In the months since the sentencing, John and Amy have been focusing on rebuilding their lives. John, who still lives in the family home, has found solace in returning to his racing commentary work. "When it happened, I thought, ‘How on earth am I ever going to be able to care about anything ever again?’ It’s fine to sit with that thought in the wreckage of what was our personal disaster. But you come to realise that, with a little bit of work, you can find some light again," he said. They have also leaned on counseling, support groups, mindfulness exercises, and the unbreakable bond they share.
Throughout their interview, John and Amy conveyed a message of resilience and remembrance. They want the world to know Carol, Louise, and Hannah not just as victims of a horrific crime but as vibrant individuals who left behind a legacy of love. "You can only see me and Dad, and that’s the sadness of our lives," Amy reflected. "I wish you could see them and know them, because the world is a much emptier place without them. When you love someone so much, and they love you so much, death can’t take that away and you have to cling on to that. I think that’s something anyone who’s experienced grief will relate to."
The full interview, "Standing Strong: The John and Amy Hunt Interview," aired on BBC1 and was available on iPlayer, offering a profound glimpse into a family’s journey through heartbreak toward healing.
