Prosecutors told Westminster Magistrates’ Court that former MP Ann Widdecombe was struck on the head 21 times with a hammer at her Devon home while she ate lunch. The attack was captured on the property’s security cameras, the court heard.
They say Joshua Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, arrived at her house on 8 July in a red Vauxhall Corsa, entered through the front door and, wearing black gloves, was inside for around two minutes. Prosecutors allege he hit Widdecombe repeatedly in her kitchen, tipped her from her chair, took her wallet and then drove away.
Kerry has been charged with one count of murder following an investigation led by counter-terrorism detectives. Prosecutor Alistair Richardson described the assault as having been carried out with a “ferocity of violence.” Police are continuing to investigate whether there was any terrorism link or political motivation to the attack.
The court heard that Widdecombe missed a pre-arranged online interview for Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show scheduled for just before 13:00 BST on 8 July. When production staff were unable to contact her, her personal assistant asked her gardener to check on her. The gardener entered the house through an open front door on 9 July and found Widdecombe lying face down on the kitchen floor with a serious head injury.
Emergency services were called and she was pronounced dead at 12:20. A post-mortem has been carried out; a pathologist has given a provisional cause of death as blunt-force injury to the head, though the precise medical cause is not yet established.
Kerry appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court appearing emotionless and speaking only to confirm his name, date of birth and address; he was not asked to enter a plea. He later appeared at the Old Bailey and is expected to be remanded at HMP Belmarsh. His next court appearance is scheduled for 9 October, and a provisional trial date has been set for 8 June 2027.
Widdecombe had a long public career. She served as the Conservative MP for Maidstone for 23 years and held ministerial roles in John Major’s government in the 1990s. After leaving the Commons she took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and was a runner-up on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018. She later represented South West England as a Brexit Party MEP and in 2023 became a spokeswoman for Reform UK.
