Man charged with murder of former UK minister Ann Widdecombe
Joshua Kerry, 28, is due in a London court after prosecutors accused him of killing the Reform UK politician.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
UK prosecutors have charged a 28-year-old man with murdering Ann Widdecombe, the former Conservative minister who later became a Reform UK figure. The case is being watched closely because police have said Widdecombe was targeted, while investigators are still assessing whether politics played a role.
The Crown Prosecution Service said Joshua Kerry was charged on Monday and is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Tuesday, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. Kerry is from Rotherham in northern England, the reports said.
Widdecombe, 78, was discovered dead on July 9 at her home near Dartmoor National Park in southwest England, according to police accounts cited by Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. She had missed a television interview the previous day.
Police have not said how Widdecombe died. They have described her injuries as serious and said the attack appeared to have been deliberate, according to the reports.
Counterterrorism officers examine motive
Kerry was arrested on July 11 on suspicion of murder, Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters reported. While he was in custody, investigators found evidence that led to a further arrest on terrorism-related allegations, according to those reports.
Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, said investigators had not yet established a precise motive. He said Widdecombe’s public profile and the targeted nature of the attack meant police were still examining whether there was a political motive.
The investigation has therefore widened beyond a conventional murder inquiry, though prosecutors have publicly announced a murder charge against Kerry. No further details about the evidence found in custody were reported.
Widdecombe’s political career
Widdecombe served as a Conservative member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. She was known for right-wing positions during and after her time in Westminster.
After leaving Parliament, Widdecombe joined the Brexit Party and won a seat in the European Parliament, the reports said. Following the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union, she moved into Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
Her death has drawn attention to the risks faced by public officials and political figures in Britain. Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters noted that two sitting members of Parliament have been killed in the past decade.
Labour MP Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right nationalist, according to those reports. Conservative MP David Amess was stabbed to death in 2021 by a man inspired by ISIL, also known as ISIS.
Authorities have not disclosed whether Kerry has entered a plea. The next formal step in the case is his scheduled appearance at Westminster Magistrates Court.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.