Ann Widdecombe was hit on the head with a hammer 21 times as she ate lunch in her Devon home, a court has heard – the attack captured on her own security camera.
Prosecutors said Joshua Kerry, 28, drove 265 miles from Rotherham to her bungalow in Haytor on 8 July, pulling up in a red Vauxhall Corsa. Wearing black gloves and holding a hammer hidden at his side, he entered through the front door and asked the 78-year-old former minister: “Don’t suppose you have bank cards and ID?”
“Ann Widdecombe was struck 21 times with a hammer by Joshua Kerry, who then drove 265 miles home, a court heard.”
According to prosecutor Alistair Richardson, Kerry then struck her repeatedly, tipped her from her chair, took a wallet from her handbag and drove off – the entire attack lasting just two minutes. A camera in the hallway filmed the encounter.
Widdecombe was due to appear on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show at 1pm that day but failed to join the online interview. The production team contacted her personal assistant, who asked the family gardener to check on her. The gardener entered through the open front door on 9 July and found Widdecombe lying face down on her kitchen floor with a serious head injury. She was pronounced dead at 12:20.
A provisional cause of death was given as a blunt force injury to the head. Richardson described the attack as carried out with a “ferocity of violence” and said it was “planned and targeted”.
Kerry was arrested at his terraced home in Rotherham at 9pm on 11 July and charged with murder. At Westminster Magistrates’ Court, prosecutor Kashif Malik said police were still investigating a possible terrorism connection or political motivation. The Home Secretary stated Kerry was not previously known to Prevent, the UK’s anti-radicalisation programme. Nigel Farage has questioned his political leanings. Counter-terror detectives have pursued more than 800 lines of inquiry, but no motive has been established.
Appearing emotionless in the dock, Kerry spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address. He was remanded in custody and will next appear at the Old Bailey on 9 October for a case management hearing. A provisional trial date has been set for 8 June 2027.
Neighbours described Kerry, a former lift company worker, as a loner living with his dog after his father died from cancer in December. His uncle called him “a quiet, polite lad, and very shy”, adding: “The only thing I can think of is he’s been left on his own after his dad’s death and he’s spiralled.”
