Triple killer handed whole-life order for crossbow and knife murders

Carl Clifford on the 9th of July last year you went to the home of your former girlfriend Louise hunt and launched a murderous attack on her and her family you first killed her mother Carol who even on that day showed you nothing but kindness in the moments before you attacked her you raped and killed Louise who had been as gentle as she could in any ending her relationship with you after your arrogance and anger proved too much for her to stand then you murdered Hannah hunt who had done nothing to harm you save supporting her

little sister the evidence I have heard shows you to be a jealous man soaked in self-pity a man who holds women in utter contempt this is no occasion to subject the family and friends of your victims to any delay or suspense I therefore make clear at once that for each of these three murders the sentence will be one of life imprisonment with a whole life order that means a sentence from which you will never be released your brutal and cowardly attack had been planned over about 11 days you conducted extensive research into the movements of

Louise's Father John into her mother's Facebook page into buying a crossbow a knife and an air pistol and even into the weather on the day of the attack you bought rope duct tape petrol cans the knife you used in the attack and a crossbow you wrote letters to your family dripping with self-pity on the day of the attack you first parked well away from the hunt family home to check if Louise's father was there researching his work when you saw his car was indeed outside the house you approached a second time with a bag of

Louise's clothes and a thank you card to Carol and John Hunt obviously part of a plan to trick Mrs hunt into letting you in the house you first talked to Carol hunt on the doorstep and persuaded her to admit you she spoke kindly to to you but you then attacked her stabbing her to death within moments of entering you then left the house to collect the crossbow Louise hunt had been working in a building in the garden of the house when she came in you restrained her with duct tape round her wrists and ankles and

gagged her you kept her there alive for over 2 and a half hours she must have come to realize you'd already killed her mother during that time you raped her then you murdered her by shooting her with the crossbow as her sister Hannah was about to enter the house Hannah hunt was in a rush she saw you and realized something was very wrong you then shot her with the crossbow causing an injury she could never hope to survive but she remained alive long enough to see the Unspeakable violence you had already inflicted on her mother

and her sister Hannah was able to call for help but when the Emergency Services arrived they could not save her you had fled you were arrested the next day whereupon you made a last minute attempt to kill yourself I am satisfied so that I am sure that you both planned and contemplated killing all three of your victims I've already mentioned your planning you knew the routine and habits of that household you clearly anticipated that Carol hunt would be in the house as you went equipped to trick your way inside you must have known Louise hunt

will be working in the building in the garden as you knew her routine and she was the obvious Target to be raped and murdered you knew the routines of the household you were there for over 4 hours and must have anticipated that Hannah hunt would return while you had used Louise Hunt's phone to ensure John Hunt would not be home any time soon you made no such inquiry about Hannah you would have known she wore a uniform for work which she will be bound to come home to change before doing anything else in the evening

I am sure that Hannah too was part of your premeditation and and that you intended to murder her if the chance presented itself those findings alone could lead to the imposition of a whole life term but there are four further very serious aggravating factors first the relevant section of the schedule is triggered by quote the murder of two or more persons I stress or more it seems to me the fact there were quote more unquote must be a relevant factor for a judge to have in mind otherwise courts would be saying the murder of three

people added nothing to the sentence for the murder of two an unthinkable proposition second the rape of Louise hunt of which the jury found you guilty last week which offense was part of the same plan and the same course of conduct as the three killings third these murders took place against a woman with whom you had been in an intimate relationship and her family and so is within the sentencing Council guidance on domestic abuse which context makes crimes even more serious fourth the murders of Louise and Hannah hunt must have involved them becoming aware of

the murders you had already committed thereby inflicting Dreadful mental suffering before death a specified aggravating Factor under the schedule you have been referred to to at times as a former soldier in many cases that would serve as significant mitigation not so in your case however as your two years in the Army included 286 days at home claiming to be ill you never saw active service and your utility to the Armed Forces can be gleaned in a parting comment from your commanding officer that quote his character is Holy unsuited to military employment and he has no

care nor concern Beyond himself unquote there are three matters of mitigation first your lack of previous convictions second your relative youth though you were already 26 years old by the time of these offenses third you pleaded guilty to the offenses of murder though not at the first opportunity I have reflected on all three aspects the sentencing Council guidance makes clear there may be cases where a guilty plea should lead the court to draw back from imposing a whole life order I have considered and rejected that course as the factors in favor of such an order

are so compelling that they far outway all those pieces of mitigation I am left in no doubt that this is a sentence I must impose the sentences I pass are therefore for possession of an offensive weapon the crossbow one years imprisonment concurrent for the possession of an offensive weapon the knife one years imprisonment concurrent for the murder of Carol hunt life imprisonment with a whole life order the early release Provisions are not to apply for the false imprisonment of Louise hunt 8 years imprisonment concurrent for the rape of Louise hunt 20 years imprisonment concurrent for

the murder of Louise hunt life imprisonment with a whole life order the early release Provisions are not to apply for the murder of Hannah hunt life imprisonment with a whole life order the early release Provisions are not to apply e