Ann Widdecombe was hit on head repeatedly with hammer, prosecutors say

Ann Widdecombe died after being hit in the head 21 times with a hammer at her home in Devon, prosecutors told Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

Prosecutor Kashif Malik said Widdecombe was having lunch on July 8 when Joshua Kerry, the man accused of murder, arrived at his home in a red Vauxhall Corsa and entered through the front door.

Kerry, who prosecutors said was at the property for just two minutes, allegedly hit Widdecombe repeatedly with a hammer, knocked him out of his chair and took his wallet before driving away, the court heard.

The 28-year-old South Yorkshire man, charged with murder, was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey later on Tuesday.

According to the court, the provisional cause of death was blunt force injury to the head.

Malik told the court Widdecombe did not attend a pre-arranged online interview with Channel 5’s Matt Allwright programme, scheduled for just before 1pm BST on July 8.

The court heard the show’s production team tried to contact Widdecombe through his personal assistant, who then asked Widdecombe’s gardener to check on him.

Prosecutors said the gardener entered the house through the open front door on July 9 and found Widdecombe lying face down on the kitchen floor with a serious head injury.

Kerry, from Rotherham, appeared emotionless in the dock and only spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and address during the brief hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. He did not state a defence.

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