Ann Widdecombe died 'after being hit 21 times over the head with a hammer while having lunch'
The former politician was found by her gardener lying face down on her kitchen floor with a serious head injury, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
A man has appeared in court charged with murdering former politician Ann Widdecombe by hitting her 21 times on her head with a hammer.
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Joshua Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday over the death of Reform UK spokeswoman and former Tory minister.
Kerry was arrested on suspicion of murder on July 11, two days after Miss Widdecombe, 78, was found dead at her bungalow in Haytor on Dartmoor, rural Devon.
Kerry was also arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, but he has not been charged with this offence. Police previously said that her death was not politically motivated.
He appeared emotionless in the dock during the short hearing on Tuesday.
The former MP and MEP was found by her gardener lying face down on her kitchen floor with a serious head injury, 24 hours after her death, Westminster Magistrates’ Court has heard.
The court also heard after striking her 21 times, Kerry then allegedly tipped Miss Widdecombe from her chair and took a wallet out of her handbag before leaving and driving off, having only been in the property for two minutes.
Read more: Who was Ann Widdecombe and why is her death being investigated?
Read more: Ann Widdecombe's secluded Dartmoor home shown on national TV just days before 'murder'
Prosecutor Kashif Malik told the court that, on July 8, Miss Widdecombe did not attend a pre-arranged online interview scheduled for just before 1pm, which would have been aired live on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show.
The show’s production team tried to contact the Reform UK spokeswoman through her personal assistant, who then asked the gardener to check on her, the court heard.
Mr Malik also said she had been eating lunch when Kerry allegedly pulled up outside the front of her house in a red Vauxhall Corsa and entered through the front door.
A provisional cause of death was given as a blunt force injury to the head, the court heard.
Prosecutor Alistair Richardson told the court that before his arrest, Kerry was living in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 265 miles from Widdecombe’s Devon address.
A bearded Kerry, who appeared in the dock wearing a grey tracksuit, spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and Byrley Road address.
Kerry will next appear at the same court on October 9 for a case management hearing before a further plea and trial preparation hearing on November 20. A provisional trial date was listed for June 8 2027.
Who was Ann Widdecombe?
Ann Widdecombe was a Conservative MP between 1987 and 2010 for the Kent constituency of Maidstone, later Maidstone and the Weald, and held several ministerial positions in Sir John Major’s government.
She continued in both shadow cabinet and backbench capacities until her resignation in 2010, and she was later an MEP after leaving the Tories to join Nigel Farage's Brexit Party.
Most recently, she was the immigration and justice spokeswoman for Reform and appeared on TalkTV one day before her death.
Ms Widdecombe became a surprising reality television star in her latter years, firstly appearing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and then on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.
She lived alone and did not marry or have children.
