CCTV footage taken at 7am on the day of the alleged murder shows a 28-year-old man placing a foot-long wooden pole into a red hatchback before driving nearly 280 miles from Rotherham to Ann Widdecombe's remote Dartmoor bungalow.
The former Tory minister and Reform figure, 78, was found dead at her Haytor home on Thursday morning after sustaining serious injuries. Police believe she was killed around midday the previous day.
“Suspect in Ann Widdecombe murder seen on CCTV carrying foot-long wooden pole before 280-mile drive.”
On Saturday night, armed officers hammered on the door of a terraced house in Rotherham's Kimberworth Park suburb. The suspect confirmed his name and was arrested without a struggle, neighbours said, as England played in the Euros. 'It was very quiet how they turned up,' one resident told Metro. 'There were no lights, no noise – our Ring doorbell didn't even go off.'
Courtney Foster, 25, who lives nearby, described the arrest as 'really loud' and said police also took the man's dog, believed to be a labradoodle. Her partner, Rayed Astle, 26, said the suspect had become reclusive since his father died last December. 'He was someone you'd have a conversation with but that changed after his dad died,' Astle said. 'He kept himself to himself and wouldn't really speak to anyone.'
Another neighbour said they saw the suspect leave at around 7am on Wednesday, carrying what looked like 'a wooden stick or an iron bar, about a foot long, pushing up underneath his T-shirt'. The man placed the object inside the car and drove off, apparently calm. 'Now and again you'd see the upstairs light on but that was it,' one resident said of his usual routine.
Devon and Cornwall Police said they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the murder. Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman told a press conference that there was 'no suggestion at this stage' the killing was politically motivated, despite Widdecombe's high-profile political career, which included stints as a Brexit Party MEP and Reform figure after leaving the Tories.
Forensic officers were seen entering the Rotherham property on Sunday morning as a police cordon remained in place. The suspect, described by neighbours as the youngest of three brothers, is believed to have lived there for at least a year. One neighbour, who said her child went to school with one of the boys, recalled him as 'timid, well-mannered, reserved' as a child. But since his father's death, his behaviour had changed markedly. 'I don't think he worked,' Foster said. 'His dad used to do everything for him.'
The rusty red car, rarely driven, had moss growing on it. On Saturday, it was gone – and the upstairs light stayed off.
