Police: speculation during Widdecombe murder investigation is ‘unhelpful and distressing’ | Ann Widdecombe
Senior police officials and politicians have warned against speculation during the murder investigation into Ann Widdecombe’s death after detectives said there was “nothing to suggest” a political motivation after Nigel Farage’s intervention.
Devon and Cornwall police said on Sunday that the murder investigation was not being treated as terrorism or politically motivated. Officers said they were keeping an open mind as to the cause of the incident and urged the public not to speculate as it was not helpful to the investigation and was upsetting for Widdecombe’s family.
Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister and later Reform UK spokesman, was found dead with serious injuries at his home in Haytor, Devon, on Thursday. Police said he may have been dead more than 24 hours before his body was found.
Farage visited the area around Widdecombe’s home in Devon shortly after his death. On Saturday, the Reform UK leader told reporters his death appeared to be “premeditated murder”. He also argued that the case showed that “whatever the murderer’s motives, the world is now more dangerous than ever for people in public life, especially in politics.”
A 28-year-old man arrested in Rotherham on suspicion of murder remains in custody, police said. Officers said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the investigation and there was no evidence to suggest there was a wider threat to the public.
Politicians from across the political spectrum have called for greater restraint, with a Labor minister saying public statements “rarely help the police during investigations”, while former Conservative justice minister David Gauke said people in public life “should know better than to speculate publicly”.
Sir Peter Fahy, the former chief constable of Greater Manchester police, said there was a “very noticeable tendency” for politicians, including government ministers, to comment on police incidents and murder investigations while they were still ongoing.
“This really completely misunderstands and neglects the nature of a murder investigation,” Fahy told the Guardian. “Usually in the beginning it’s kind of a journey of discovery. You have to be completely open-minded. There may be people arrested who were not involved in the incident.
“We are asking the police to do an impossible job here, where everything they do is interpreted, speculated and often filmed,” Fahy added.
He warned that public interventions could create practical dangers for detectives, including “contaminating” witnesses, alerting potential suspects and destroying evidence.
“Something can be said and put into the public mind, then when someone is arrested and the case goes to court, it’s not treated the same way, even though the story is very different.”
The former police chief said social media has fundamentally changed the environment in which criminal investigations are conducted. “I think the whole court order is under a lot of pressure…the reality is that often in high-profile cases a lot is said and made public in advance…the whole murder investigation process, the criminal justice system, the court process is designed for another era, something closer to the Midsomer Murders.”
A former Home Office minister said it was “wrong for senior political figures to engage in uninformed speculation during a live investigation”, adding: “This is distressing for the families of the victims and could cause undue alarm in the public. It is of course sensible to ask questions and raise issues, but we must always act on the facts.”
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chairman of the House of Commons public accounts committee and a long-serving Conservative MP, said: “The police have a tough enough job to do… dealing with political figures guessing the motivation and potential suspect could prevent an actual arrest and charge. “We have a meeting in the House of Commons where we do not comment on cases that have a court order.
“We need to extend this to avoid speculation via social media or any media when police are actively investigating a serious crime like this.”
A Labor Minister said: “We all want the police to have the space to do their job. Talking MPs rarely help the police during investigations.”
Another senior Tory MP said he thought Farage was “building that into his narrative”: “He needs a narrative to keep him in the media so he can talk about anything that isn’t in the media for the next four weeks.” [questions over the £5m gift].
“He is using this to say we all need security because this is a ‘premeditated’ incident. There is no evidence that this was a politically motivated murder. Until the police complete their investigation, this speculation is only harmful.”
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday morning, Devon and Cornwall Police deputy chief constable Matt Longman said: “At this point, we have no information yet that this is a terrorism-related incident and at this point we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this murder.
“There is nothing at this stage to suggest that the incident was politically motivated.”
Longman added: “We are aware of online and public speculation, particularly regarding motive. I would once again urge people not to share or engage in this speculation. It is unhelpful.”
“It does not assist our investigation and is particularly distressing for Ms Widdecombe’s family and friends.”
Fahy warned Britain must guard against greater political control over policing, saying reforms should not erode operational independence.
“There’s a real risk that our police will come under more and more political control, and that should be a real concern for everyone, regardless of party… We could end up with something remotely close to what ICE has done in America.”
Fahy said politicians should resist the urge to post on social media before investigators establish the facts and warned against people turning major police operations into political issues “for their own political purposes”.
Reformation England has been approached for comment.
