LONDON: The Ann Widdecombe murder case moved to court after British prosecutors charged Joshua Kerry, 28, over the former MP’s death at her home in Haytor, Devon.
The Crown Prosecution Service authorised the charge on July 20 following a 12-day investigation. Kerry, from Rotherham in South Yorkshire, was remanded in custody for an appearance at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on July 21, Counter Terrorism Policing said.
Devon and Cornwall Police found Widdecombe, 78, dead inside her rural home at about 11.40 am on July 9. She had suffered serious injuries, according to the police investigation.
Investigators believe the targeted attack occurred at about 12.30 pm on July 8. Police have not disclosed the cause of death.
BREAKING: Joshua Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, has been charged with the murder of Ann Widdecombe, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Mr Widdecombe, a former Tory minister, was found dead at her home in Haytor, Devon, on Thursday 9 July.
Latest: https://t.co/tiqPlsNHni pic.twitter.com/F7f1TNf2u8
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 20, 2026Officers arrested Kerry on suspicion of murder in South Yorkshire on July 11. Police later rearrested him on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism after investigators obtained new evidence.
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However, prosecutors have charged Kerry only with murder. The Crown Prosecution Service said inquiries into a potential political or terrorist connection remained active.
Widdecombe represented a parliamentary constituency from 1987 to 2010 and served as prisons minister under Conservative Prime Minister John Major.
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She later became a member of the European Parliament for the Brexit Party and a Reform UK spokesperson. She also appeared as a contestant on the television programmes Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother.
