Police have given new details about the alleged murder of Ann Widdecombe. Image: Keystone
In the case of the killed British former minister Ann Widdecombe, investigators initially believed there was a political motive. Now the police are giving new details.
July 22, 2026, 12:04 amJuly 22, 2026, 12:04 am
In the case of the murder of former British minister Ann Widdecombe, gruesome details have become known: A British court on Tuesday ordered pre-trial detention for a 28-year-old Briton who, according to the public prosecutor’s office, is suspected of hitting Widdecombe in the head 21 times with a hammer. He then stole a wallet from her handbag and fled. The trial was set to begin on June 8, 2027.
The cause of death was a “traumatic brain injury caused by a blunt object,” explained public prosecutor Kashif Malik. According to him, the defendant Joshua Kerry was only at the Widdecombes property in Devon in southwest England for two minutes on the day of the crime, July 9th. A day later, Widdecombe’s gardener discovered the 78-year-old’s body on the kitchen floor.
Ann Widdecombe was known for conservative views
The police initially ruled out a political background, but an anti-terrorism unit later took over the investigation. On Monday, the 28-year-old was charged with murder – and not with an act with a terrorist background. However, the public prosecutor’s office stated that it would continue to examine a terrorist background.
Widdecombe sat in the British Parliament for the conservative Tories from 1987 to 2010. She was known for her Christian faith and outspoken views. As prisons minister in 1995, she caused a stir by defending the practice of chaining pregnant prisoners. In 2019, Widdecombe joined Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party and was a MEP from 2019 until Britain left the EU in 2020.