British police search for man accused of killing BBC radio commentator’s family

LONDON (AP) — British police said Wednesday they found the man suspected of killing the wife and two daughters of a well-known BBC radio commentator in a brutal crossbow attack near London.

In a statement, Hertfordshire Police said 26-year-old Kyle Clifford was found near his home in the Enfield area of ​​north London and that he is receiving medical treatment for his injuries. Police did not provide any information on how the injuries occurred, but stressed that no shots were fired.

The BBC confirmed that the women killed were family members of its commentator John Hunt: his 61-year-old wife Carol Hunt and their daughters Hannah (28) and Louise (25).

Footage from Sky News shows the suspect being carried on a stretcher out of Lavender Hill Cemetery in Enfield, which is close to his home and around 32 miles east of the crime scene. Armed police, forensic experts and paramedics had been gathering around the cemetery throughout the day.

The public was asked not to approach Clifford, who served briefly in the British Army in 2022, according to the BBC.

“Following extensive enquiries, the suspect has been located and no one else is currently wanted in connection with the investigation,” said Detective Inspector Justine Jenkins of the Major Crime Unit for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.

“This continues to be an incredibly difficult time for the victims’ families and we ask that you respect their privacy as they process what has happened,” she added.

Jenkins said the investigation was “progressing rapidly” and the formal identification of the victims was still pending. She also said the “premature” release of the victims’ names “has caused a great deal of excitement.”

Police had searched a north London park near Clifford’s home after being informed of the murders at a house in Bushey, a residential area in north-west London, on Tuesday. Police and emergency services tried to rescue the two, but they were pronounced dead at the scene.

John Hunt is the lead racing commentator for BBC 5 Live, the corporation’s flagship news and sport channel. Millions of people know his voice from his coverage of the world-famous Grand National and The Derby.

Mark Chapman, Hunt’s colleague and main presenter of BBC 5 Live, fought back tears as he expressed everyone’s shock and pain.

“We have a football match to present to you tonight… and we will start preparing for that shortly, but this has been a heartbreaking day,” he said as he opened 5 Live’s coverage of England’s Euro 2020 semi-final against the Netherlands on Wednesday.

“John Hunt is our colleague and friend, not just to the current 5 Live Sport team but to everyone who has worked with him here over the last 20 years and also to everyone who has enjoyed his great commentary,” said Chapman. “On behalf of everyone associated with 5 Live Sport, our love, thoughts and support go out to John and his family.”

The Daily Mail and other media reported that Hunt found the bodies early Tuesday evening after returning home from a job at Lingfield Park racecourse in south London.

Police did not disclose whether or what connection Clifford, who is from London, had to the women, but British media reported that he was the ex-boyfriend of one of the daughters.

Chief Superintendent Jon Simpson said the attack was not random and the suspect knew the family.

Local councillor Laurence Brass described the area as “a typical leafy British suburb” as he recounted his experiences of the previous night.

“Last night at around eight o’clock I was watching football on TV when suddenly a helicopter landed on the lawn outside my flat at the end of this road. Then my phone rang and I was told that there had been a serious incident here in Bushey and that we should all stay away because someone was apparently on the run,” he told the BBC.

The new British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was “fully informed” of the “truly shocking” incident.

In the UK, no license is required to own a crossbow. However, it is illegal to carry a crossbow in public without a valid reason.

A Home Office spokesman said Cooper would “expeditiously review” the results of a recent inquiry into whether further controls on crossbows should be introduced.