Reform UK immigration and justice spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe was killed after being struck 21 times in the head with a hammer, according to prosecutors.
On Tuesday, July 9, Joshua Kerry, a 28-year-old man from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, entered Widdecombe’s home in Haytor, Devon, while she was eating lunch. Prosecutors allege Kerry wore black gloves and attacked her with a hammer, striking her head 21 times before tipping her out of her chair. The violent assault lasted approximately two minutes.
Widdecombe missed an online interview scheduled for around 13:00 BST, prompting her assistant to send a gardener to check on her. She was discovered lying face down in her kitchen the day after the attack and pronounced dead at 12:20 BST on July 9. Security footage confirmed the assault occurred the day before her body was found.
The police investigation has been transferred to Counter Terrorism Policing, which described the murder as a “targeted attack” with potential political or ideological motives. An inquest into Widdecombe’s death is underway, and the post-mortem examination to determine the precise cause of death remains ongoing.
It has recently been revealed that Kerry kept newspaper clippings about Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK. In a statement on Saturday, Farage wrote: “I have it on good authority that the murder suspect was a hard-Left activist. He attended various marches and hated anyone with an opposing view. He had expressed his hatred of me on more than one occasion. He was an intolerant individual obsessed with Soviet communism. He may also have been known to the authorities.”
This represents the first substantive allegation against Kerry since he was charged with murder on Monday.
