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Man Charged With Murder of Former MP Ann Widdecombe
Joshua Kerry, 28, appeared in court Tuesday on charges of murdering Ann Widdecombe. Prosecutors described an attack at her Haytor home on July 8 that left the 78-year-old dead from head injuries.
Jul 21, 9:11 AM·1m read4 sources
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Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was charged with the murder of Ann Widdecombe and appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday. Prosecutors told the court that Kerry drove to Widdecombe's home in Haytor, Devon, in a red Vauxhall Corsa on July 8.
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He entered through the front door wearing black gloves, remained inside for about two minutes, and allegedly struck the 78-year-old 21 times on the head with a hammer as she ate lunch.
He then tipped her from her chair and removed a wallet from her handbag before driving away, the prosecutor said. A pathologist gave a provisional cause of death as blunt force injury to the head. Widdecombe had been scheduled for an online interview with Channel 5's Matt Allwright show shortly before 13:00 BST on July 8 but did not appear.
Production staff contacted her personal assistant, who sent the gardener to check on her the next day. The gardener entered through the still-open front door on July 9 and found Widdecombe lying face down on the kitchen floor with a serious head injury. Security camera footage from the property confirmed the attack occurred the previous day.
Police, led by counter-terrorism detectives, are examining whether the killing had a terrorism or political motive, according to The BBC. Kerry has not been charged with any terrorism offence. He was first arrested on July 11.
Kerry appeared emotionless in the dock, confirmed only his name, date of birth and address, and did not enter a plea. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring remanded him in custody to appear at the Old Bailey later the same day.
