Heartbreaking rollcall of victims slain by crossbows: How the deadly weapon has become a feature in so many horrific killings in the UK
Over the last few decades there have been several horrific killings involving the use of a crossbow, with victims' families still reeling from their loss years on.
There have been at least eight deaths from crossbow attacks since 2018.
In January that year, Anthony Lawrence fatally shot Shane Gilmer before injuring his pregnant girlfriend Laura Sugden in the head, who is now a campaigner for stricter rules against crossbow ownership.
And in December 2021, would-be assassin Jaswant Singh Chail broke into Windsor Castle on Christmas Day with a loaded crossbow to kill the late Queen. No one was hurt.
Most recently, BBC racing commentator John Hunt's wife Carol, 61, and daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28, died at their home after allegedly being shot by a crossbow.
But to this day the deadly weapons are still readily available, with no registration system for owning a crossbow, no requirement for a licence and they appear to be easily purchased online.
Campaigners hope that the recent rise in the number of deaths related to the deadly weapon will spur politicians to tighten the laws around their ownership and finally help put an end to increasing numbers of tragic deaths.
Victim Louise Hunt is the ex-girlfriend of crossbow suspect Kyle Clifford, who was yesterday apprehended for her murder and that of her mother and sister
Hannah Hunt, sister of Louise and daughter of John, also died after being shot with a crossbow at the family's £800,000 home
Carol Hunt, who was married to BBC horse racing commentator John Hunt (pictured together), was found fatally injured along with her two daughters at her home on Tuesday night
Kyle Clifford, 26, is suspected of murdering the trio at their home on Tuesday night
Yesterday's killings follow other incidents featuring the weapon spanning as far back as 14 years.
Stephen Griffiths, known as the 'Crossbow Cannibal', pleaded guilty to killing Shelley Armitage, Susan Rushworth and Suzanne Blamires between 2009 and 2010.
Criminology student Griffiths, from Bradford, earnt his grisly nickname because he killed his victims by shooting them with a crossbow, before chopping them up, cooking their flesh and eating it.
Parts of Suzanne's body were found in the River Aire in Shipley, and other remains found at the same site were later found to be Shelley. To this day, Susan's body has never been recovered.
Police finally captured the monstrous killer thanks to CCTV footage of him shooting Blamires in the head inside his block of flats.
On the video, Blamires can be seen running out of Griffiths’s flat chased by the killer and knocked down. Griffiths brings a crossbow from his flat and fires a bolt into her head.
He dragged his lifeless victim inside his flat and returned to hold his weapon triumphantly at the CCTV camera and raise a finger to it. Later he toasts his success by raising a bottle to the camera.
Over the next 24 hours, Griffiths was recorded going in and out of the building carrying bags. He was taking body parts to dump them in the River Aire in nearby Shipley.
By the time the remains were found, Griffiths was in custody. Caretaker Peter Gee had raised the alarm and armed police raided Griffiths's flat.
At the time of his arrest in 2010, Griffiths told detectives he cooked flesh from the first two women and ate the third one 'raw', landing him the nickname 'crossbow cannibal'.
He told police, 'I've killed loads', and claimed eating his victims flesh was 'part of the magic'.
In January 2018, crossbow killer Anthony Lawrence broke into the home of Laura Sugden and her boyfriend Shane Gilmer in Southburn, East Yorkshire.
Mother-of-two Ms Sugden, who gave birth to Mr Gilmer's daughter Ella Faith in June 2018, and her boyfriend were attacked after they returned home from Gino D'Acampo's Italian restaurant in Hull.
Their neighbour Lawrence, who owned several crossbows, had broken into the couple's home through the loft and was waiting in their daughter's bedroom with the weapon.
Stephen Griffiths, known as the 'Crossbow Cannibal', pleaded guilty to killing Shelley Armitage, Susan Rushworth and Suzanne Blamires between 2009 and 2010
Suzanne Blamires, 36, from Allerton, was murdered by Griffiths in 2010
Shelley Armitage, 31, who went missing from Bradford's red light district in 26 April 2010 before she was murdered by Griffiths
Susan Rushworth, 43, who went missing on 22 June 2009 before she was murdered by Griffiths
Griffiths dragged his lifeless victim inside his flat and returned to hold his weapon triumphantly at the CCTV camera and raise a finger to it
Lawrence fatally shot Mr Gilmer in the side before turning the crossbow to Ms Sugden, who was pregnant at the time, and shooting her in the head. She was then forced to play dead before Lawrence left the room and drove off.
Ms Sugden ran to a neighbour's house and armed police and paramedics arrived soon after but they were unable to save Shane's life.
Lawrence, 55, was himself found dead days later during a nationwide manhunt.
The brutal attack on Mr Gilmer and Ms Sugden came after he used a bug to listen into their conversations, and found the couple had got him evicted for growing cannabis.
Months after the attack on Ms Sugden and her boyfriend, another crazed crossbow attacker Mark Waterfall entered his GP's office and fired a bolt into his stomach.
Waterfall, who was also a patient at the surgery, blamed the treatment the doctor had given to his father and to himself.
On the morning of July 10, 2018, Waterfall drove to the surgery where Dr Griffith worked for more than 20 years. In the car was a powerful crossbow Waterfall had brought two weeks earlier.
Crossbow killer Anthony Lawrence broke into the home of Laura Sugden and her boyfriend Shane Gilmer in Southburn, East Yorkshire, in January 2018
Mr Gilmer (pictured with Laura), 30, died after a crossbow bolt fired by Lawrence broke his arm and a rib, damaged his liver and kidney and became embedded in his spine
Ms Sugden partner of Shane Gilmer, 30, who was fatally wounded with a crossbow at their home in Southburn, near Driffield, in East Yorkshire, leaves the inquest at Hull Coroner's Court
The crossbow used by Anthony Lawrence to carry out his fatal attack on Shane Gilmer
Police forensic officers at the scene of Shane Gilmer's murder and the home he shared with girlfriend Laura Sugden
On entering the surgery that morning with the crossbow hidden in two plastic carrier bags he could seen from a screen which consultation room the GP was working in.
He then sat in the waiting area, positioning himself so that he could look down a corridor and see when a patient left the room nine and the doctor would be on his own.
Dr Griffith told a court during the trial he had recognised the defendant as a patient as soon as he came into the room. 'He had been my patient for 10 years years. I recognised him immediately. He just seemed furious,' he said.
Mr Waterfall, he said, then told him: 'You killed my father and I am going to kill you.'
The doctor said from a distance of about 5ft, Mr Waterfall fired the bolt at him which entered the left side of his abdomen while he was still sitting in his swivel chair.
The jury heard Dr Griffith was saved from serious injury that day because it had been very hot and he had loosened his shirt by pulling it up from under the waistband of his trousers so that it was gathered in folds around his midriff area.
The court was told after firing the bolt and realising he hadn't killed the doctor, Mr Waterfall, of South Oxhey, Watford, dropped the crossbow on the floor and left the consultation room.
Mark Waterfall, 46, burst into a doctor's consultation room in Watford, Hertfordshire, and shot him with a crossbow
Dr Gary Griffith survived after being able to pull the arrow from out of his stomach wall
The Suthergrey House Medical Centre in Watford, Hertfordshire, where the attack took place
Dr Griffith, having removed the bolt from the left side of his abdomen, followed him outside the building to the car park and tried to stop him from getting into his car by talking to him.
In the car park he said the defendant had told him he had 'murdered' his father, adding: 'You have been sending me to a loony bin for 30 years.'
The doctor said when Mr Waterfall got into his car he took photos on his mobile phone of the vehicle's number plate before going back into the surgery where he called the police before a female colleague 'dressed the wound.'
In January last year a domestic homicide review found the Metropolitan Police missed opportunities to protect Sana Muhammad from her ex-husband in the years before he killed her with a crossbow in 2018.
The 35-year-old was eight months pregnant when former nurse Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo, then 51, burst into her home and fired an 18-inch hunting bolt into her stomach.
The pair had divorced four years earlier after entering into an arranged marriage in their home country of Mauritius in 1999, when Ms Muhammad was 17.
Unmathallegadoo had planned the revenge execution of his ex-wife - formerly known as Devi Unmathallegadoo - for more than three years as his hatred of her 'grew and festered', a court heard.
Sana Muhammad was killed by her ex-husband Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo with a crossbow in 2018
Unmathallegadoo is likely to die in jail after he was found guilty of murder and handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 33 years in 2019
Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo used this crossbow to kill his wife in 2018
The diagram above shows how the arrow penetrated 14 inches into his ex-wife's body and the force of the bolt caused damage to her intestines, stomach, liver and heart
The jealous ex-husband then carried out the attack using a cache of weapons including two crossbows, bolts, a hammer, a knife in a homemade sheath, cable ties and duct tape, which he had bought earlier.
The expecting mother died after sustaining catastrophic internal injuries from the attack but her unborn son - who was delivered by Caesarean section - miraculously survived.
Unmathallegadoo is likely to die in jail after he was found guilty of murder and handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 33 years in 2019.
A year later Terence Whall, 39, was jailed for life after murdering retired lecturer Gerald Corrigan at home in North Wales in a 'medieval-style execution'.
The sports therapist, from Bryngwran, was convicted after being found guilty of shooting the pensioner outside his home in Holyhead, Anglesey, in April 2019.
Mr Corrigan, who had previously worked as a lecturer in photography and video, was found at around 12.35am with a crossbow bolt in his chest.
He died of his injuries one month later while being treated in hospital.
A court heard how Whall, originally from east London, had hidden behind a wall outside the pensioner's remote home and tampered with the satellite dish to lure him into the garden where he shot him.
Terence Whall (pictured) was jailed for life in 2020 after murdering retired lecturer Gerald Corrigan at home in Wales in a 'medieval-style execution'
Mr Corrigan (pictured), had worked as a lecturer in photography and video, was found at around 12.35am with a crossbow bolt in his chest
An Excalibur Micro 355 crossbow used for test firing, was shown at Mold Crown Court as Whall was found guilty of murder
The court heard how Whall had hidden behind a wall outside the pensioner's remote Holyhead, Anglesey home (pictured) and tampered with the satellite dish to lure him into the garden
It also heard how Whall, who was heavily in debt, had given no motive for the killing and there was no evidence of a connection between him and Mr Corrigan.
In February 2021, an accountant and his father were found guilty of mistakenly killing their own relative with a crossbow - and murdering a cannabis farm burglar seconds later.
Convicted drug-dealer Saghawat Ramzan, 47, killed kickboxer Khuzaimah Douglas around a minute after fatally injuring his younger brother Waseem Ramzan, 36, by mistake after a raid on the family's cannabis factory in Brierley Hill, Dudley.
Ramzan, his son Omar and family friend Mohammed Sageer were all jailed for life for their roles in killing the two victims on February 20, 2020.
A three-week trial was shown CCTV footage of the moment Saghawat Ramzan shot his brother in the stomach with the 'horrific' crossbow during a four-on-one punishment beating in response to a burglary at the cannabis grow.
A second bolt travelling at 270ft-per-second was fired at 19-year-old Mr Douglas less than a minute later, causing fatal internal injuries. Mr Douglas was shot while being held on the ground and died at the scene outside the Ramzans' home.
Waseem Ramzan died in hospital after the bolt that struck him was removed and hidden near the scene.
The defendants were charged with murder after police recovered CCTV footage from cameras set up to protect the cannabis farm from raids by rival gangs.
Waseem Ramzan, 36, was killed by his brother by mistake after a raid on the family's cannabis factory in Brierley Hill, Dudley
Khuzaimah Douglas was also killed in the scuffle after he was caught by the thugs fleeing scene and was shot with crossbow
Saghawat Ramzan, his son Omar Ramzan and family friend Mohammed Sageer claimed self-defence but were all jailed for life for their roles in killing the two victims
The crossbow used by Saghawat Ramzan to kill relative Waseem Ramzan and Mr Douglas
Earlier this year, convicted stalker Bryce Hodgson was shot dead by police after he broke into a London home armed with weapons including a crossbow.
The 30-year-old was confronted by unarmed neighbours after he forced his way into a home where the stalking victim he had previously targeted lived in January.
Police said he had been wearing body armour, a gas mask and military boots and was carrying two crossbows, a knife and an axe.
Hodgson was shot twice after he began threatening residents and was given first aid but died at the scene.
He had been banned from entering Bywater Place, where the shooting happened just before 5am on January 30.
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel ordered the review of crossbow rules after would-be assassin Jaswant Singh Chail broke into Windsor Castle on Christmas Day 2021 with a loaded crossbow to kill the late Queen.
The 21-year-old was jailed for nine years in October last year and handed a further five years on extended licence after admitting treason, making a threat to kill the then Queen, and having a loaded crossbow.
Convicted stalker Bryce Hodgson was shot dead by police in January after he broke into a London home armed with weapons including a crossbow
A gas mask and crossbow arrows were seen by the house at Bywater Place, Surrey Quays
The Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is now urgently considering whether tougher crossbow laws are needed after the murders of John Hunt's wife and two daughters.
The Labour politician will look at the findings of a Home Office review carried out earlier this year after the deaths of Mr Hunt's family in Bushey, Hertfordshire, on Tuesday.
Killings involving a crossbow are typically rare but ministers had considered tightening laws in a bid to stop the weapons being used in violent attacks.
The previous government looked at bringing in firearms licensing-style rules in the wake of an attempt to kill the late Queen with a crossbow.
There is currently no registration system for owning a crossbow, no requirement for a licence and they appear to be readily available to buy online.
But it is illegal for anyone under 18 to buy or own one, with anyone carrying a crossbow in public without a reasonable excuse facing up to four years behind bars.
Plans for crossbow owners to face police checks were mooted as part of efforts to 'step up action to prevent violence on our streets', the Home Office said this year.
The department launched an eight-week consultation in February to see if there should be a licensing system to control the use, ownership and supply of crossbows, with anyone looking to buy one facing police checks - similar to regulations already in place for firearms.
Jaswant Singh Chail was encouraged by an AI chatbot to break into Windsor Castle on Christmas Day 2021 with a loaded crossbow to kill the late Queen. He's seen in a photo taken before his arrest
Chail after his arrest on December 25, 2021
CCTV issued by the Met of Jaswant Singh Chail being arrested in the grounds of Windsor Castle
The Home Office completed the work in April but the General Election being called stalled any further progress until now.
Ms Cooper, who was appointed as Home Secretary last week in the wake of Labour's election victory, is understood to have been supportive of the move during her time in opposition.
A Home Office spokeswoman said: 'This is an appalling incident and the Home Secretary is being kept updated by the police.
'We keep legislation under constant review and a call for evidence was launched earlier this year to look at whether further controls on crossbows should be introduced.
'The Home Secretary will swiftly consider the findings to see if laws need to be tightened further.'
According to the Home Office, there were fewer than 10 killings involving a crossbow between 2011 and 2021 but the department said it was 'clear that when used as a weapon, crossbows do pose a risk'.
