Ann Widdecombe was hit on head repeatedly with hammer, court told | UK news
A man accused of the murder of former MP and Reform UK spokesperson Ann Widdecombe has appeared in court.
Joshua Kerry, 28, is accused of murdering the 78-year-old former Conservative minister by hitting him in the head 21 times with a hammer at his home in Haytor, Devon, earlier this month.
Kerry, who wore a gray sweatshirt and tracksuit bottoms during a brief hearing at Westminster magistrates’ court on Tuesday afternoon, spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.
The court heard CCTV footage from the property showed Widdecombe being fatally attacked on July 8.
Kerry allegedly entered his bungalow through the front door while he was having lunch after driving there from his home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
Prosecutor Kashif Malik claimed Kerry was at the house for about two minutes before driving off and allegedly took her wallet from Widdecombe’s bag.
Malik said the alarm was raised after Widdecombe failed to attend a pre-arranged online interview for Channel 5’s Matt Allwright program shortly before 1pm. The show’s producers are said to have attempted to contact Widdecombe and his personal assistant on several occasions.
He was found lying face down on the kitchen floor by his gardener on the morning of July 9 and was pronounced dead by emergency services a short time later. Malik said blunt force trauma to the head was cited as the provisional cause of death by a pathologist.
Kerry was arrested on suspicion of murder by officers from Devon and Cornwall police on July 11 after being linked to a red Vauxhall Corsa car seen outside Widdecombe’s bungalow shortly before his death.
The case was later handled by counter-terrorism officers and Kerry was re-arrested on suspicion of committing, preparing or inciting terrorist acts. The investigation into whether there was a political or terrorist motive in Widdecombe’s death continues.
Later on Tuesday, Kerry appeared before Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb at the Old Bailey, where he was refused bail and remanded in custody. The case management hearing was scheduled for October 9, and the tentative hearing date was set for June 8, 2027.
An inquest into Widdecombe’s death was opened in Exeter on Tuesday morning. Philip Spinney, senior coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, confirmed the time and date of the former MP’s death and read a brief statement before suspending the inquest pending criminal proceedings.
He said: “The circumstances of death are as follows: Concerns were raised that Ms Widdecombe could not be contacted. Therefore, an employee who was supposed to be at her home address was asked to carry out a welfare check. Ms Widdecombe was located at her property. She was found to be unresponsive and had visible injuries.”
“Emergency services were called and unfortunately he was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy has been performed and at this stage the exact medical cause of death has not yet been determined.”
Spinney paid tribute to Widdecombe, who was Conservative MP for the seat of Maidstone and Weald (previously Maidstone) between 1987 and 2010. He defected to the Brexit party in 2019 to serve as an MP; More recently, he served as immigration and justice spokesperson for its successor party, Reform UK.
“It is clear that Mrs Widdecombe was much loved and will be greatly missed, and it is important that we all understand the impact of the loss of life on those who are mourning,” Spinney said.
“The court may seem a harsh and clinical environment for such a deeply private matter as the death of a loved one. I would like to offer my deepest condolences to Ms Widdecombe’s family.”
