UK man charged with murder of right-wing ex-MP Ann Widdecombe
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Ann Widdecombe, a spokesperson for the far-right Reform UK party and a former Conservative minister, was found dead in her home in Devon, south-west England on July 9.
PHOTO: AFP
LONDON - British prosecutors said on July 20 they had charged a 28-year-old UK man, Joshua Kerry, with the murder of veteran right-wing former MP Ann Widdecombe, as police probed a potential “political or terrorist connection”.
“We have decided to prosecute Joshua Kerry for murder following a police investigation into the death of Ann Widdecombe,” said Frank Ferguson from the Crown Prosecution Service.
“Police enquiries into the defendant’s motives are ongoing, including a potential political or terrorist connection,” Ferguson said, after counter-terror police joined the investigation.
Widdecombe, a spokesperson for the far-right Reform UK party and a former Conservative minister, was found dead in her home in Devon, south-west England on July 9 after sustaining “serious injuries”.
Police previously said the murder was a “targeted attack”.
Days after her murder, police arrested a 28-year-old man, believed to be Kerry, on suspicion of “commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism” as well as suspicion of murder.
He has not yet been charged with any terrorism offences.
Kerry was arrested in his hometown Rotherham in Yorkshire, in northern England, about 500km from Widdecombe’s home.
The murder of the high-profile 78-year-old sparked strong reactions from politicians, including Reform MPs who called for improved security for lawmakers.
Widdecombe is the third UK politician murdered in an allegedly targeted attack this decade.
Labour Party MP Jo Cox was murdered in 2016 by a neo-Nazi sympathiser, while Conservative lawmaker David Amess was killed in 2021 by an Islamic State group follower.
UK media outlets have published a picture dated 2022 of a white man reported to be Kerry, bespectacled with long hair and a beard.
“It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information which could in anyway prejudice these proceedings,” Ferguson said in a statement, after social media was rife with speculation about the circumstances of the killing.
A police officer walks past flower tributes left outside the home of 78-year-old former government minister Ann Widdecombe after she was found dead, in Haytor, Britain, on July 11.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Widdecombe, a Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010, was known for her strong Christian faith and outspoken views.
She became a household name after she stepped down as an MP and was a fixture on reality TV shows and interview panels. AFP
