The man accused of murdering Ann Widdecombe has appeared at the Old Bailey, where prosecutors set out the case against him and described a planned and targeted attack on the former Conservative MP turned Reform UK spokeswoman. Joshua Kerry, 28, was remanded in custody as the details of the killing were laid before the court.
Kerry first appeared earlier in the afternoon at Westminster Magistrates' Court before the case was sent to the Old Bailey, a higher court where murder charges must be heard. Prosecutors told the court that Widdecombe was struck over the head 21 times with a hammer while she was having her lunch at her home in Devon, and that initial investigations indicate she died from blunt force trauma injuries to the head.
According to the prosecution, Kerry drove to Widdecombe's address in a red Vauxhall Corsa and entered the property through the front door. They allege he was inside for a total of only about two minutes before he attacked her and then left, having also taken her wallet. The prosecution characterised the whole episode as planned and targeted rather than random.
The court also heard how the alarm was raised. On the day of her death, the 8th of July, Widdecombe had been due to take part in an online interview with Channel 5. When producers did not hear from her, they contacted her personal assistant, who in turn got in touch with her gardener. The gardener went to check on her the following day, the 9th of July, and found her with serious head injuries in the kitchen.
Kerry, who is from Rotherham, more than 260 miles from Widdecombe's home in Devon, was arrested there a few days after her death, on the 11th of July. Police say they are continuing to try to establish any motivation behind the attack, and the reason a man from South Yorkshire would travel so far to the home of the veteran politician remains a central question in the case.
The hearing at the Old Bailey also mapped out the road ahead in the legal process. A plea hearing is expected to take place on the 20th of November, when Kerry is due to formally indicate how he will respond to the charge. A provisional trial date has been set for June 2027, meaning the full case is likely to be heard nearly a year from now.
Ann Widdecombe was one of the most recognisable figures in recent British public life, first elected as a Conservative MP in 1987 and later a minister under John Major, before leaving the party and eventually becoming a spokesperson for Reform UK. Her death has also fuelled renewed concern about the safety of current and former elected representatives in the United Kingdom.