My murdered daughter saved my life, says John Hunt in tearful first interview since crossbow killings

BBC racing commentator John Hunt has revealed he still speaks to his late wife and daughters every day a year after they were murdered by a crossbow killer.

In an heartbreaking interview alongside his eldest daughter Amy, John told how Louise, 25, Hannah, 28, and his wife Carol, 61, had left behind a “legacy of love”.

He said he has been working to find “some light again” after Louise’s ex-boyfriend Kyle Clifford, 26, was given a whole-life sentence for murdering his family.

Clifford raped his former partner Louise, then used a crossbow to shoot both her and her sister Hannah, having already fatally stabbed their mother Carol at their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire on July 9, 2024.

A subsequent manhunt lasted less than 24 hours, ending when Clifford was found by police injured near his home in Enfield, north London.

In March, Clifford was handed three life sentences with three whole life orders for murder. He was also given time behind bars for rape, false imprisonment and possession of an offensive weapon.

Nearly 12 months on from the tragedy, John has spoken about the tumultuous experience he and his eldest daughter Amy, 31, have had since and how he is dealing with loss.

Speaking to the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire, he and Amy said they chose to talk publicly about their ordeal because they did not want their loved ones to be defined by their deaths.

John said: “From the moment I wake up, I say good morning to each of them. Sometimes I say out loud to Hannah and Louise, '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.”

Louise ran a dog-grooming business, while Hannah worked in aesthetics and beauty, with John saying their life was "one of complete happiness — awash with it, really".

Amy reminisced about a sushi dinner she had with her sisters two months before Clifford’s murder spree, saying: "We were talking about how lucky we'd been as a family. To have had the parents we've had and the life we've had."

The pair told how there had been no signs of abuse or coercive behavior from Clifford against Louise during their relationship.

However, John said the family would often discuss how Clifford struggled to take criticism and realised that he had been "gently manipulating" Louise when he looked through her text messages.

Amy added: “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.”

In the weeks since Clifford’s sentencing, John and Amy say they have been trying to focus on living again.

John, 61, bravely returned to his job at BBC Radio 5 Live just two months after the horrific deaths of his family.

"When it happened I thought, 'How on earth am I ever going to be able to care about anything ever again'?" John said.

"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."

But above all, John remembers his daughter Hannah's final act in life in which she messaged her boyfriend Alex and managed to call 999.

John, who was in central London at the time, believes Clifford intended to kill him too and Hannah’s heroism saved his life. “I get to live,” he said. “Hannah gave me that, and I've got to treat it as a gift from her.”