LONDON, July 21 : Former British lawmaker Ann Widdecombe was struck multiple times with a hammer during a fatal attack at her home in southwest England earlier this month, prosecutors told a London court on Tuesday.
At Westminster Magistrates’ Court, prosecutors alleged that 28-year-old Joshua Kerry entered Widdecombe’s home in Haytor, Devon, on July 8 and attacked her while she was eating lunch. The court was told the suspect remained inside the property for only a few minutes before leaving with the victim’s wallet.
Widdecombe’s body was discovered the following day after she failed to attend a scheduled television interview. A gardener, asked to check on her by her personal assistant, found her lying on the kitchen floor. Prosecutors said security camera footage captured the attack, while a provisional post-mortem examination identified blunt force trauma to the head as the cause of death.
Kerry, from South Yorkshire, has been charged with murder and was remanded in custody after appearing before Westminster Magistrates’ Court and later at the Old Bailey. He was not asked to enter a plea. A case management hearing has been scheduled for October 9, while a provisional trial date has been fixed for June 8, 2027.
Police said the investigation is being led by counter-terrorism officers, who are examining whether the attack had any political or ideological motive. Investigators are reviewing evidence, including CCTV footage and forensic findings, while stressing that inquiries remain ongoing.
Widdecombe served as a Conservative Member of Parliament for more than two decades and later represented South West England in the European Parliament for the Brexit Party. She remained active in public life in recent years, serving as a spokesperson for Reform UK on immigration and justice issues.
Her death has renewed attention on the safety of public figures in Britain, where several politicians have been targeted in violent attacks in recent years. Authorities have not established any link between those incidents and the present case, but said all possible motives are being thoroughly investigated.
