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Ann Widdecombe died after being hit on the head with a hammer 21 times, prosecutors told Westminster magistrates’ court on Tuesday.
Joshua Kerry, a 28-year-old admin worker, appeared in court a day after being charged over the killing of the former Tory minister at her bungalow in Haytor, Devon.
Miss Widdecombe, who defected to the Brexit Party in 2019 and later joined Reform UK, was found at around 11.40am on July 9 after sustaining serious injuries.
Police believe the former Reform spokesman for immigration and justice was killed nearly 24 hours earlier. She was discovered by her gardener, lying face down on her kitchen floor with a serious head injury, the court was told on Tuesday.
The provisional cause of her death was given as blunt force trauma.
Kashif Malik, prosecuting, said Miss Widdecombe, 78, had failed to attend a pre-arranged Channel 5 interview scheduled for just before 1pm on July 8, raising concerns about her welfare.
The show’s production team tried to contact the former Tory MP through her personal assistant, who asked the gardener to check on her. Prosecutors said that on July 9 he entered through the front door, which had been left open, and discovered her body.
Mr Kerry is accused of hitting Miss Widdecombe over the head 21 times with a hammer after entering her home, the court was told. He then allegedly tipped her from her chair, took her wallet and drove nearly 270 miles back to his home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
Paul Goldspring, the senior district judge, was told that police were called to the scene just after midday on July 9 and spotted a CCTV camera positioned in the hallway facing Miss Widdecombe’s kitchen.
Footage from the camera showed her sitting by the entrance to the room eating her lunch before the attack. A review of her Ring doorbell camera showed what was alleged to be the defendant’s red Vauxhall Corsa pulling up outside the property.
The prosecution alleged that the defendant “walked to the entrance of the kitchen, where he stood leaning against the hallway wall” and asked Miss Widdecombe: “Don’t suppose you have bank cards and ID?”
Officers arrested Mr Kerry, who worked in the administration department of a lift installation and repair firm, two days after Miss Widdecombe was found. They also seized a red Vauxhall Corsa believed to have belonged to the suspect.
Mr Kerry, who wore a grey sweatshirt and was flanked in the dock by three prison officers, spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.
Following his arrest on suspicion of murder, Mr Kerry was later rearrested for allegedly being involved in the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.
Mr Malik said: “During the search of his home, police allegedly discovered items belonging to Miss Widdecombe in the bins outside the property, as well as black gloves and a hammer.”
Neighbours and relatives told The Telegraph that Mr Kerry lived alone at the property in the suburb of Kimberworth, around 270 miles from Miss Widdecombe’s home, after the recent death of his father Paul Yates.
Following his arrest, a relative described him as “shy” and a “quiet boy” who had “never” been remotely violent. They added that he was “just a normal lad”. An aunt said: “His arrest is a massive shock for the family.”
An inquest in Exeter earlier on Tuesday heard that a post-mortem examination into Miss Widdecombe’s death had been completed, but the cause of death had yet to be determined. Philip Spinney, the coroner, suspended the inquest pending the conclusion of criminal proceedings.
Asst Commissioner Laurence Taylor, the head of national counter terrorism policing, said on Monday that any “possible political motivation” remained an “active avenue of investigation”. He added that the investigation had been “particularly intensive and complex”, with more than 800 lines of inquiry identified so far.
Mr Taylor also said police were working with the Speaker of the House of Commons and relevant authorities to ensure elected officials were aware of the measures in place to protect them.
Speaking outside New Scotland Yard, he said: “It remains the case that we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this interest. I want to make it very clear that our investigation into the individual, determining his motivations and any wider activity he may have been involved in is continuing.”
Miss Widdecombe was a Tory MP between 1987 and 2010, and served as the shadow home secretary under Lord Hague. Neighbours described her as an “indomitable” woman who was a “beacon of free speech”.
‘Ferocity of violence’
Mr Kerry was transferred from Westminster magistrates’ court to the Old Bailey for a further hearing before Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb on Tuesday afternoon.
Alistair Richardson, prosecuting, said Mr Kerry allegedly hit Miss Widdecombe in a “planned and targeted” attack carried out with a “ferocity of violence” in her kitchen. He also told the Old Bailey that Mr Kerry had allegedly driven from his home to carry out the alleged attack.
Mr Kerry spoke only to confirm his name and age before sitting back down in the dock in front of two prison officers.
No application for bail was made and Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb remanded him in custody until a case management hearing on Oct 9.
A provisional date of June 8, 2027, was set for a trial to begin at the Old Bailey.
