Triple killer raped ex-girlfriend in 'act of spite', court told
The jury is told Kyle Clifford, 26, has previously pleaded guilty to murdering his former partner Louise Hunt, 25, her mother Carol Hunt, 61, and her sister Hannah Hunt, 28.
He has also admitted the false imprisonment of Louise, who was restrained, as well as having the crossbow and a 10-inch knife used in the attack.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan says he is alleged to have raped Louise, which he denies, during the "course of this prolonged incident of violence".
"It was a violent, sexual act of spite, before he then killed her," she says.
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Clifford described as 'disrespectful, rude and arrogant' - with 'nasty temper'
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC is now telling the jury about the background to the murders.
She says Louise Hunt, 25, lived at home with her family, including her sister Hannah Hunt, a beauty therapist, her mother Carol Hunt and her father, the BBC racing commentator John Hunt.
He has one surviving daughter, Amy.
Mr Hunt was working on the day of the attack, a fact that was checked by Kyle Clifford, who had searched online to see what racing events were going on.
Louise ran a dog grooming business called Groom and Glow from a pod in the garden and was described by friends as being a "caring, positive and happy person", who was "hard-working" the court hears.
Louise met Kyle Clifford on a dating website and they were in a relationship for around 18 months, which concerned her friends and family, the jury is told.
One friend said Louise told her Clifford had a "nasty temper" and sometimes "behaved in an aggressive manner", while a family member Emma Ledgard said she found him "odd", the prosecutor says.
She says Hannah Hunt told Ms Ledgard the family found him "disrespectful, rude and arrogant" and hoped the relationship would come to an end.
Ms Morgan tells jurors that the "firm rejection" of Louise ending the relationship and rebuffing his attempts to get back together "angered" Clifford and provides the "context and motive" for the attack on 9 July last year.
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Clifford 'had relationships with other women'
The jury is told that Kyle Clifford hid relationships with two other women he worked with while he was with Louise Hunt, including one that was still ongoing at the time of the murders.
She broke up with him two weeks before the attack after they went to a wedding of a friend in Scarborough, the court hears.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC is taking jurors through a timeline, including messages sent between Louise and Clifford.
She says one of her friends, Mary Hammond, saw Clifford behaving in a "rude manner" at the event, which she saw as the "catalyst" for the break-up.
Louise ran a dog grooming business called Groom and Glow
He implied he had "slept with a number of people at the wedding, which upset Louise" and made a series of "patronising comments" to her, including about her ability to use an oven, she says.
Louise sent him a message on 23 June last year, the day they got back from the wedding, saying "we definitely need to have a conversation".
Clifford said in a string of replies he wasn't going to "take s***" from her and "I'll be damned if I ever beg someone to love me for who I am", the court hears.
Ms Morgan tells jurors the messages are relevant because they suggest they weren't together and Clifford is expected to suggest they had sex on that date.
Crossbow killer Kyle Clifford has been given a whole-life order for murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC commentator John Hunt. For raping his ex-girlfriend Louise Hunt during the attack, he was also given a 20-year sentence.
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