Triple crossbow killer Kyle Clifford has refused to attend his sentencing as the judge has declined to order restraints due to the killer’s disability.
Judge Justice Bennathan said he received an inquiry from Belmarsh Prison “as to whether I would order restraints so he (Kyle Clifford) should be brought to the video room”.
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Speaking to Cambridge Crown Court, the judge said: “I have declined on the basis that the idea of a man in a wheelchair being put in restraints and potentially disrupting these proceedings… is simply not appropriate or suitable.
“If the defendant lacks the courage to face today, so be it – but I’m conscious part of this morning will be people paying tribute to the three women who died, and I’m not having that disrupted by anything.”
Triple crossbow killer Kyle Clifford has refused to attend his sentencing
Hertfordshire PoliceThe former soldier was found guilty last week of raping his ex-girlfriend Louise Hunt during a triple murder attack.
The 26-year-old had previously admitted to murdering Louise, 25, her mother Carol, 61, and sister Hannah, 28.
The jury at Cambridge Crown Court delivered their verdict after hearing evidence about the attack at the Hunt family home in Bushey, Hertfordshire.
The incident took place on July 9 last year, just 13 days after Louise had ended their relationship.
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Clifford had already pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and possession of the weapons used in the killings.
Prosecutors revealed Clifford used a crossbow to kill Louise and her sister Hannah. He also stabbed their mother Carol to death with a 10-inch butcher's knife.
The victims were the wife and daughters of BBC racing commentator John Hunt.
During the attack, Louise was tied and gagged with duct tape.
Court artist drawing of Kyle Clifford appearing via videolink at Westminster Magistrates' Court
PAThe court heard Clifford committed the rape as an "act of spite" after Louise had broken up with him less than two weeks earlier.
Clifford had claimed the DNA evidence found on Louise's body was from a consensual sexual encounter 16 days before the attack.
However, prosecutors argued this explanation was "completely untenable". The jury rejected Clifford's defence after considering the evidence presented during the trial.
Clifford became the subject of a manhunt for hours before he was found injured in north London cemetery after he shot himself in the chest with the crossbow.
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John Hunt referred to Clifford's absence in court: "I so wished to deliver these words eye to eye Kyle and I'll continue to do so as if I was doing that.
"The screams of hell, Kyle. I can hear them faintly now. They're going to roll the red carpet out for you."
His eldest daughter Amy broke down in tears part way through her own victim impact statement, condemning Clifford for his "monstrous, selfish actions".
She said: "It's clear that you hate women Kyle and can't handle being confronted by a strong woman like my sister Louise."
