Ann Widdecombe struck 21 times with hammer as suspect appears in court

The investigation into the killing of former government minister Ann Widdecombe has shifted to the courtroom, where prosecutors have provided harrowing details regarding the final moments of the 78-year-old. During a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, the court was told that the accused, 28-year-old Joshua Kerry, struck Widdecombe 21 times on the top of her head with a hammer.

Widdecombe, a prominent figure in Reform UK and a former Conservative minister, was found dead at her bungalow in Haytor on Dartmoor on 9 July. Prosecutors state she was killed the previous day, 8 July. The alarm was raised after she failed to appear for a scheduled live television interview, which was set to air shortly before 1:00 pm. When she did not make contact, the show's production team alerted her personal assistant, who subsequently requested that a gardener check on the property. The gardener discovered the victim lying face down on the kitchen floor with a serious head injury.

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Video evidence detailed

Prosecutor Kashif Malik informed the court that an internal camera within the home captured the entire incident. The footage shows Kerry, a resident of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, arriving at the property in a red Vauxhall Corsa. He entered the home through the front door while Widdecombe was eating lunch. According to court testimony, Kerry was wearing black gloves and had concealed the hammer at his side.

"Don’t suppose you have bank cards and ID?"

The prosecutor stated that Kerry then struck Widdecombe 21 times on the top of her head. After the assault, he allegedly tipped her from her chair onto the floor, removed a wallet from her handbag, and departed the scene. The entire intrusion lasted approximately two minutes. A provisional cause of death has been identified as blunt force injury to the head.

Legal status and proceedings

Joshua Kerry, who appeared in the dock wearing a grey tracksuit, spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, and his address on Byrley Road. He has been charged with murder. While police previously arrested Kerry on suspicion of the commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism, he currently faces no charges regarding those specific offences. Laurence Taylor, head of United Kingdom Counter-Terrorism Policing, stated that detectives are still investigating potential political or terrorist motivations for the crime.

The magistrates have set a rigorous schedule for the case as it moves to the Old Bailey:

• Case-management hearing: 9 October
• Plea and trial-preparation hearing: 20 November
• Provisional trial date: 8 June 2027

Political and public profile

Ann Widdecombe served as the Conservative Member of Parliament for the Kent constituency of Maidstone—later Maidstone and the Weald—from 1987 until her retirement in 2010. During the 1990s, she held junior ministerial positions in the government of Prime Minister John Major. Following her tenure in the Conservative Party, she became involved with the Brexit Party and later served as the immigration and justice spokeswoman for Reform UK.

Beyond her political career, Widdecombe was a well-known television personality. She appeared on the reality competition Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and later participated in Celebrity Big Brother in 2018. Her death has sparked renewed discourse regarding the security of politicians, occurring in a period that has seen the murders of two serving British members of parliament within the last decade. Police maintain that Widdecombe was clearly targeted, though the investigation into the underlying motive continues.