John Hunt and daughter Amy convey their ‘devastation’

John Hunt has said “the devastation we are experiencing cannot be put into words” after his wife and two daughters were killed with a crossbow.

Carol Hunt, 61, the wife of the BBC 5 Live commentator and Sky Sports Racing presenter, and two of their daughters, Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25, were found fatally injured at a house in the quiet cul-de-sac of Ashlyn Close, in Bushey, Hertfordshire, just after 7pm on Tuesday.

Kyle Clifford, 26, was arrested on suspicion of their murders after he was found with injuries in the Hilly Fields area of Enfield, north London, on Wednesday.

Paying tribute to the three victims on Saturday, Hunt and his third daughter Amy said: “The devastation that we are experiencing cannot be put into words.

“We would like to thank people for their kind messages and for the support we have received in recent days. These have provided great comfort to us for which we are very grateful.

“As you can imagine, this is an extremely difficult time for us, and we need time and space to come to terms with what has happened and start the grieving process.

“While this is happening, we would ask that our privacy and that of our wider family and relations be respected at this time. Thank you.”

In a further heartfelt statement read to Sky Sports Racing viewers through his colleague and friend Matt Chapman, Hunt paid tribute to his “magnificently inspirational” surviving daughter.

He said: “Notwithstanding the horrid evil that’s swept through our lives, reeking devastation on an unimaginable scale, the counter to that has been the breathtaking messages of support, some of which are still to be read.

“Amy, my eldest daughter, has been magnificently inspirational with her control and support for me, which I am trying, trying so hard, to replicate.

“Every message has felt so important, the same as a reassuring hug.

“We know people are worried about us, we will get through this. Sending love to everyone, John.”