My wife and daughters left behind a legacy of love, John Hunt tells BBC

BBC racing commentator John Hunt, whose woman and 2 of his daughters were murdered past July, describes successful an affectional first question and reply nan bequest of emotion they near behind.

It was this, John and his girl Amy show nan BBC, that had helped prolong them done their trauma and grief.

Carol, Louise and Hannah remained specified a changeless beingness successful their lives that he still talks to them each day, almost a twelvemonth connected from their deaths, John says.

"From nan infinitesimal I aftermath up, I opportunity bully greeting to each of them," he says.

"Sometimes I opportunity retired large to Hannah and Louise, 'girls, sorry I can't beryllium pinch you, I'm pinch your mum astatine nan moment'. As I adjacent my eyes astatine night, I chat to them arsenic well. They're very adjacent to maine each nan time."

John and Amy opportunity they took nan determination to talk publically now because they did not want their loved ones to beryllium defined by their deaths. They besides consciousness overmuch of nan first reporting aft nan murders was inaccurate and it added to their pain.

They've besides shared antecedently unseen family photos pinch nan BBC.

Kyle Clifford fatally stabbed 61-year-old Carol, raped his erstwhile partner, Louise, 25, past utilized a crossbow to sprout some her and her sister Hannah, 28 - each astatine their family location successful Bushey, Hertfordshire, successful July past year.

Amy says nan infinitesimal Clifford near their location connected nan time of nan incident, "my mum, Hannah and Louise became a statistic. They became victims of Kyle Clifford."

"I want to respire life backmost into my mum, Hannah and Louise arsenic fully-rounded people."

Amy and John show nan BBC's Victoria Derbyshire they besides powerfully cull reports location were clear signs of maltreatment by Clifford during his narration pinch Louise.

"Did we person immoderate denotation that this man was tin of stabbing my mother, of tying Louise up, of raping Louise, of shooting Louise and shooting Hannah? Absolutely not," says Amy.

• Watch: John and Amy Hunt's question and reply pinch BBC's Victoria Derbyshire

The Hunt family person ever been highly close.

In nan early years of their marriage, Carol encouraged John - past a constabulary serviceman - to prosecute his dream of becoming a racing commentator.

That unending belief was inherited by their 3 daughters - Amy, nan eldest, their mediate girl Hannah, and Louise, "the baby". They talked each nan clip and shared everything pinch each other.

John, Carol, Hannah and Louise lived together successful their location successful Bushey, Hertfordshire. Louise ran a dog-grooming business from a pod successful nan plot and Hannah worked successful aesthetics and beauty.

Their life, John says, was "one of complete happiness - awash pinch it, really".

They retrieve 1 Friday nighttime past May, 2 months earlier nan murders, erstwhile nan 3 sisters had gone retired for sushi together.

"We were talking astir really fortunate we'd been arsenic a family, to person had nan parents we've had and nan life we've had," Amy says.

John agrees, and adds that erstwhile Hannah came location from nan dinner, she was "typically effusive".

"She came barnstorming done nan door, and Carol said thing like, 'you had a beautiful time?' And she said, 'do you cognize what, mum? We talked astir really fortunate we person been. We person been truthful lucky. We've not had a infinitesimal of interest aliases interest done nan lives you've fixed us'," he says.

"It's a beautiful point to recall. It was a beautiful point to perceive astatine nan aforesaid time."

You tin watch nan afloat interview, Standing Strong: The John and Amy Hunt interview, pinch Victoria Derbyshire astatine 21:00 BST connected BBC1 and connected iPlayer

While things were idyllic pinch nan family, Louise and Clifford's narration had started to sour. At nan extremity of June, Louise collapsed up pinch him.

Less than 2 weeks later, connected 9 July, Clifford turned up astatine nan family's location connected nan pretext of returning immoderate of Louise's things.

Doorbell footage captured nan infinitesimal Carol opened nan doorway to Clifford, and greeted him pinch friends advice.

"Maybe... possibly deliberation successful nan adjacent relationship," she told him, "the measurement you are, possibly effort and change. If you transportation connected for illustration this you'll extremity up connected your own." Clifford agreed, seemingly cordial, and told her he had started therapy.

Carol turned to spell into nan house, and Clifford followed her inside.

He past stabbed her aggregate times, earlier waiting successful nan location for Louise to travel backmost wrong from her canine grooming pod. When she did, he restrained, raped, and killed her pinch a crossbow. When Hannah returned later, he changeable her pinch nan crossbow too.

In her dying moments, Hannah messaged her boyfriend, Alex, and managed to telephone 999. She was capable to show them what had happened and, crucially, who was responsible. John was successful cardinal London astatine nan time. He believes Clifford intended to termination him too.

"Police officers of 30 years' acquisition had their activity taken distant by really brave she was, really she was capable to deliberation truthful intelligibly successful that moment, to cognize what she needed to do," John says.

Asked if Hannah's actions saved his life, John adds: "That's what I believe.

"I said it successful tribunal and I said many, galore times, her doing that has fixed maine life. And I've utilized that to re-ground myself connected a regular basis."

As nan news of nan murders spread, nan communicative spun retired of control.

John says "from time one" their family - and successful particular, Louise - was "completely misrepresented successful nan media and connected societal media", including mendacious suggestions Louise was successful a controlling and coercive narration pinch Kyle Clifford.

He and Amy callback misinformation connected news sites, including nan declare that John had been nan 1 to observe his woman and daughters' bodies successful their home.

They besides retrieve photographs being lifted from their loved ones' societal media pages by sections of nan media without consent, thing John describes arsenic "grave-robbing".

Amy recalls 1 newspaper header reading, "Crossbow maniac was jilted", a framing she describes arsenic "victim-blaming".

But astir painful, they say, were claims successful nan property that location were clear signs of maltreatment and misogyny successful Clifford's narration pinch Louise.

John and Amy opportunity nan family had misgivings astir Clifford - location were things astir him they didn't peculiarly lukewarm to. He was immature and, astatine times, inconsiderate. They opportunity he couldn't woody pinch conflict, and was bad astatine taking criticism. The family, including Louise, would talk to each different astir Clifford's deficiency of consideration.

But their narration besides seemed unremarkable, they say. The 2 of them would giggle and cuddle successful nan house, watch films together, navigator together, spell connected holidays to Europe and return play trips to nan seaside.

They appeared happy, for a twelvemonth astatine slightest - and moreover erstwhile things started to deteriorate successful 2024, for those connected nan outside, nan alteration was subtle.

A turning constituent came erstwhile nan mates went distant for a friend's wedding. The nighttime earlier nan ceremony, Louise struggled to usage nan oven successful their accommodation. The adjacent day, erstwhile different wedding guests asked Louise what she did for a living, Clifford would interject pinch nan barb that "one point she doesn't do is cognize really to activity an oven properly".

Clifford started to belittle her. When looking done nan couple's matter messages aft Louise's decease - thing John says he recovered "very difficult to do" arsenic nan messages were individual to Louise - they noticed signs, from outpouring 2024, of "gentle manipulation".

But did they announcement thing astatine nan clip that suggested nan narration was abusive?

No, John says. Clifford ne'er physically assaulted Louise erstwhile they were together. The family besides ne'er heard them raise their voices astatine each other.

"At nan constituent of Louise ending [the relationship], location was perfectly grounds that he had turned retired not to beryllium a bully person," Amy says.

"But I want to put it very bluntly now. Did we person immoderate denotation that this man was tin of stabbing my mother, of tying Louise up, of raping Louise, of shooting Louise and shooting Hannah? Absolutely not.

"He's often been referred to arsenic 'crossbow killer' and 'crossbow maniac' - but that takes distant from nan very existent rumor we cognize to beryllium true. He was conscionable a person, conscionable a man... who went to nan gym, had a family, had a relationship, watched TV.

"I cognize it sounds crass, but we often opportunity we wish we'd had immoderate hint that he was tin of this."

In nan months that followed nan murders, John and Amy had to navigate a analyzable criminal justness system.

John makes a constituent of highlighting nan "incredible people" who supported them - nan constabulary officers, their family liaison officers, their barrister, and nan "compassionate" judge who oversaw nan rape proceedings and sentenced Clifford. They were, they say, "very fortunate to person met these group successful these unspeakable circumstances".

But, he adds, "each of them is moving successful a strategy that is intelligibly not fresh for purpose".

On nan time Clifford appeared astatine magistrates' tribunal aft being charged, John and Amy's family liaison officers weren't capable to be nan proceeding pinch them arsenic they were astatine different execution successful Luton.

"It conscionable truthful happened that that greeting successful nan magistrates' court, they revealed aspects of nan murders that we had not heard of astatine all, from anybody," John says. "That was an atrocious day."

Amy past recovered retired nan specifications of her sister Hannah's last words connected nan telephone to 999, from a newspaper headline.

When they said to nan CPS astir their concerns, they were fixed a title shape and told to return it wrong 28 moving days - "as if we'd had our motorcycle stolen".

On different day, erstwhile Clifford was owed to participate his pleas, Amy says they were told nan proceeding needed to beryllium postponed because nan situation carrier "didn't move up to return him to court".

The proceedings were agelong and torturous for John and Amy. Clifford initially denied nan charges against him, earlier pleading blameworthy to everything isolated from nan complaint of rape. This meant nan lawsuit had to spell to trial. He was convicted successful March.

Clifford refused to be his sentencing later that month, meaning he did not perceive nan judge's damning comments astir him, aliases nan devastating testimonies written by John and Amy.

"It's consistently a strategy that prioritises nan perpetrator," Amy says. "That's a traumatising point for truthful galore people."

The Crown Prosecution Service says it has apologised, and it has "the utmost admiration for nan Hunt family, who had nan spot and courageousness to be tribunal each time and perceive first-hand nan devastating truth of what happened to Carol, Louise and Hannah.

"At nan petition of nan judge during nan first proceeding of Kyle Clifford, we provided first specifications of nan prosecution's case. We apologised to nan Hunt family for nan level of item outlined astatine that shape and continued to meet pinch them passim nan criminal justness process."

In nan months since nan sentencing, John and Amy opportunity they've been trying to attraction connected surviving again.

"When it happened I thought, 'how connected world americium I ever going to beryllium capable to attraction astir thing ever again'?" John says.

"It's good to beryllium pinch that thought successful nan wreckage of what was our individual disaster. But you travel to realise that, pinch a small spot of work, you tin find immoderate ray again."

He says they've recovered comfortableness successful bully counsellors and support groups, mindfulness exercises, and nan emotion and support they person for each other.

But supra all, each time he remembers Hannah's last act, and really it saved his life. "I get to live," he says. "Hannah gave maine that, and I've sewage to dainty it arsenic a gift from her."

If you've been affected by immoderate of nan issues raised successful this communicative specifications of support are disposable astatine BBC Action Line.