Police had named Clifford earlier Wednesday in connection with a triple killing the evening before. In an earlier statement, Hertfordshire police said officers were called to a home in Bushey just before 7 p.m. Tuesday and found the women seriously injured. All three died at the scene.
The BBC named the victims as Carol Hunt, 61, Hannah Hunt, 28, and Louise Hunt, 25. They were the wife and daughters of John Hunt, who works for the BBC 5 Live radio station as a horse racing commentator.
“At this stage, we believe the suspect was known to the victims,” Hertfordshire police said Wednesday evening.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who took office last week after the Labour Party’s election victory, is considering tougher crossbow laws and will assess the findings of a Home Office review carried out this year, British news outlets reported.
GET CAUGHT UP
Stories to keep you informed
The previous government had considered tightening the laws involving crossbows after would-be assassin Jaswant Singh Chail tried to break into Windsor Castle and kill Queen Elizabeth II with such a weapon on Christmas morning in 2021.
Britain does not have a registration system or licensing requirement for ownership of a crossbow, though it is illegal for anyone younger than 18 to possess one.
In February, the Conservative government’s Home Office launched an eight-week review to consider implementing a licensing system and tighter restrictions on buying and selling crossbows, similar to regulations for firearms.
The office completed the review in April, but action was apparently stalled by the recent elections.
In a post Wednesday on X, Cooper called the killings “shocking” and said she was being kept “fully updated” on the investigation.
John Hunt’s fellow sports journalists and other figures from the racing world took to social media to express their condolences for the Hunt family.
“Impossible to comprehend the pain,” ITV racing commentator Matt Chapman wrote on X. “Just know we are all here for you John. We love you pal — racing loves you.”