Vigil held in memory of the triple murder victims in Bushey

The church service brought over 250 people together last night

Vigil held at Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint John the Evangelist church in Bushey
Author: Zoe Head-ThomasPublished 13th Jul 2024
Last updated 13th Jul 2024

A second vigil was held in memory of the three victims of the brutal crossbow attacks in Bushey.

Carol Hunt, 61, wife of BBC racing commentator John Hunt, and two of their daughters Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25, were killed on Tuesday evening.

The vigil brought over 250 people together in mourning, in an emotional and intimate service at Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint John the Evangelist church in Bushey.

Many were visibly distressed, some holding tears back, as they walked out of the church.

Tributes paid to the victims since the attack

The Hunts were described as "the loveliest, gentlest family" as well-wishers laid flowers by the police cordon in Ashlyn Close, a quiet suburban cul-de-sac, on Wednesday.

Neighbour Su Kehinde, 60, who laid flowers at a makeshift tribute in the area on Wednesday, said: "They were the loveliest, gentlest family.

"They were the meekest human beings. They did not deserve this. They were beautiful souls."

Her daughter April, 32, said that Hannah "always had a smile" and was "hard-working, a hard grafter and really gentle".

Some of the messages left alongside flowers read "Hannah, Louise and Carol, I wish none of this was real. I wish I could hug you all, tell you how much you meant me, I wish you could hug each other. Love you forever."

"Rest in peace, Louise. I’ll miss you dearly, sweet dreams angel."

"I love you so much. You are safe now in heaven. (…) I promise to live with the same love and compassion you did."

"Our love and thoughts are with you, Louise and your family. A compassionate and kind groomer."

Calls for tougher regulation around crossbows

Earlier this week, the MP representing voters in Bushey within the constituency of Watford, Matt Turmaine, wrote to Yvette Cooper asking for rules to be reviewed.

He said: "It's an extremely unusual, horrific and tragic crime that has taking place and is very out of keeping of course for Hertfordshire."

He continued, "I wrote to Yvette Cooper, who's the Home Secretary, yesterday Wednesday actually, to say, look, do we need to look at more detail at what's going on around crossbows?

"I know that she is urgently reviewing this and they are looking at it at the moment so, I fully expect to see something come out of this but we will see what comes out of it over the next few days."

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