Ann Widdecombe hit 21 times on the head with hammer, court hears

Joshua Kerry, 28, remanded in custody after being charged with murder of Ann Widdecombe, 78

Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Joshua Kerry, 28, appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London charged with the murder of MP Ann Widdecombe. Picture: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire

Joshua Kerry, 28, has been remanded in custody after appearing at the Old Bailey charged with the murder of Ann Widdecombe by hitting her 21 times on the head with a hammer.

Prosecutor Alistair Richardson told the court that before his arrest, Kerry was living in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 430km from Widdecombe’s Devon 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.

Kerry was arrested on suspicion of murder on July 11, two days after Widdecombe, 78, was found dead at her bungalow in Haytor on Dartmoor, 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.

Kashif Malik, prosecuting, said that on July 8, Widdecombe did not attend a pre-arranged online interview at just before 1pm, which would have been aired live on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show.

The show’s production team tried to contact Widdecombe through her personal assistant, who then asked the family gardener to check on her, the court heard.

Prosecutors said he found the politician lying face down on her kitchen floor with a serious head injury the next day, July 9.

Mr Malik said that on July 8, Widdecombe 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.

Reform UK spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe died on July 8. Picture: Ben Birchall/PA

Kerry then allegedly used a hammer to hit Widdecombe on the top of her head 21 times, the court heard.

He is accused of tipping her from her chair and taking a wallet out of her handbag before leaving and driving off, having only been in the house for two minutes, the court heard.

A provisional cause of death was given as a blunt force injury to the head, the court heard.

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.

He was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey later on Tuesday.

Speaking outside New Scotland Yard on Monday, head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing Laurence Taylor said detectives are still investigating any possible political or terrorist motivation.

Widdecombe was first elected as a Conservative MP in Kent in 1987, was a prisons minister in the 1990s and later became an MEP for the Brexit Party.

At the time of her death she was a spokeswoman on immigration and justice for Reform UK.

She also found fame outside politics on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother.