The family of Ann Widdecombe has announced plans for a public memorial later this year, as the man accused of her murder appeared in court charged with killing the former Tory minister with a hammer.
Joshua Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, is alleged to have struck Widdecombe on the head 21 times with a hammer after entering her Dartmoor bungalow on 8 July while she was eating lunch. A camera in the hallway captured the suspect asking for “bank cards and ID” before the attack, prosecutors told the Old Bailey on Tuesday. The entire incident lasted just two minutes, the court heard. A provisional cause of death was given as blunt force injury to the head.
“Ann Widdecombe's family announces public memorial; Joshua Kerry, 28, charged with her murder using a hammer.”
Kerry, who has been remanded in custody, is due to appear at the Old Bailey on 9 October. Detectives are still investigating any possible political or terrorist motivation, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed. “We have decided to prosecute Joshua Kerry for murder following a police investigation into the death of Ann Widdecombe,” said Frank Ferguson, Chief Crown Prosecutor of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division.
Widdecombe’s family, in a statement, thanked the public for the “wide expression of condolences” but asked that a private funeral for family and close friends, to be held in the coming weeks, remain limited to those closest to her. “A more public memorial will follow later in the year, the details of which will be released in due course,” they said.
The 78-year-old former Conservative MP and Reform UK spokeswoman was found dead at her home in Haytor on 9 July with serious head injuries. Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum and beyond. Anton Du Beke, her partner on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, said he was “devastated” by the “saddest of news”. Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, described Widdecombe as “a very fun and feisty woman who spoke her mind”, while Sir Keir Starmer called her a “distinguished politician”. Nigel Farage said she was “an extraordinary woman” who gave her life to public service.
Widdecombe served as Conservative MP for Maidstone for 23 years, was shadow home secretary, and later became an MEP for the Brexit Party and a spokeswoman for Reform UK. She also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother. The private funeral invitations have already been distributed, as the family balances public grief with a demand for privacy.