UK police have arrested a 28-year-old man for murdering late politician Ann Widdecombe – National
British prosecutors charged a 28-year-old man with murder on Monday in the death of former politician and TV contestant Ann Widdecombe.
Joshua Kerry was charged after more than a week in custody on suspicion of murder and acts of terrorism. Police are continuing to investigate his motive, including political or terrorist links, prosecutors said.
The death of Widdecombe, 78, a former MP, shocked the British political world, where Widdecombe had been a prominent voice for decades. She was an outspoken character known for her socially conservative views against abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.
Police say they believe Widdecombe was attacked on July 8. He did not show up for a TV interview in the afternoon and was found dead the next day at his secluded home in a village in southwest England.
The police did not disclose the cause of his death, but said he was seriously injured in what they called a targeted and brutal attack.
“I want to make it clear that our investigation into this individual, his motives and any wider activity he may have been involved in is ongoing,” said Laurence Taylor, head of counter-terrorism.
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“Given Ann Widdecombe’s profile and the circumstances in which she intended to attack, identifying a motive, including any political motives, remains an active line of inquiry for our detectives,” he said.
Taylor added that the investigation is deep and complex, with detectives working on more than 800 lines of inquiry.
Kerry was arrested on July 11 in the South Yorkshire region of northern England, more than 200 kilometers (320 miles) from the village of Haytor on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, where Widdecombe was found dead on Thursday.
Kerry remains in custody and is expected to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
He was initially arrested on suspicion of murder, but after receiving new evidence during his arrest, he was arrested again on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of terrorist acts.
Widdecombe was in the House of Commons from 1987 to 2010, serving in roles including prisons minister in Prime Minister John Major’s 1990s Conservative government.
He gained fame after leaving Parliament as a contestant on the television shows “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Celebrity Big Brother.”
He later joined the Brexit Party, serving briefly as a member of the European Parliament before Britain left the European Union in 2020. Recently, he joined the anti-immigration group UK Reform, often appearing in the media as a spokesperson.
This killing has renewed the concern of politicians about security, which intensified a decade ago after the killing of two members of Parliament. Labor MP Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by extremists, and Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.
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