Ann Widdecombe murder suspect charged with preparing terror attack on UK far-right leader Nigel Farage
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Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage paying tribute on Sept 4 to former UK MP Ann Widdecombe, who was murdered in July 2026 aged 78.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Joshua Kerry, already charged with murdering former MP Ann Widdecombe, is now also charged with preparing terrorism acts against UK far-right leader Nigel Farage.
- Kerry allegedly attacked Widdecombe with a hammer at her home, causing her death by blunt force injury; he was arrested shortly after the murder.
- The case has raised concerns about MP security, as Widdecombe is the third UK politician murdered this decade, following Jo Cox and David Amess.
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LONDON - A 28-year-old man already charged with the murder of one politician, has been charged with preparing acts of terrorism, including against hard-right leader Nigel Farage, British police announced Oct 2.
Police said Joshua Kerry had been charged with one count of preparing acts of terrorism for actions allegedly carried out between May 31, 2024 and July 8, 2026.
In July, Kerry was charged with the murder of former MP and Reform UK spokesperson Ann Widdecombe, who was found dead in her home at the age of 78.
On Oct 2 Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, said of the fresh charge: “We have been running a hugely intensive and complex investigation for some time...
“This investigation has been led by a dedicated team of detectives, analysts, and forensic experts, working on multiple lines of enquiry, which has resulted in this very serious charge,” she added.
Kerry is due to appear in a London magistrates’ court on Oct 7, the police statement added.
He was originally arrested on July 11, two days after the murder of Widdecombe, who was a veteran Conservative Party MP before joining Reform.
Murder suspect Joshua Kerry is due to appear in a London magistrates’ court on Oct 7.
PHOTO: REUTERS
In July Kashif Malik, the prosecutor handling that case told a court that the suspect had allegedly used a hammer to hit Widdecombe on the top of her head 21 times.
The former lawmaker had been eating lunch when he walked through her front door and attacked her, after having driven from his home in Rotherham, northern England, some 500km away, Malik argued.
Widdecombe’s gardener found her body lying face down on her kitchen floor.
A provisional cause of death was given as a “blunt force injury to the head”, said Malik.
The murder of the high-profile 78-year-old sparked strong reactions from politicians, including Reform MPs who have called for improved security for lawmakers.
Former UK lawmaker Ann Widdecombe was found dead at her home in July 2026, having been hit on the head 21 times with a hammer.
PHOTOS: REUTERS
Widdecombe is the third UK politician murdered in an attack this decade.
Labour Party MP Jo Cox was murdered in 2016 by a neo-Nazi sympathiser and Conservative lawmaker David Amess was killed in 2021 by an Islamic State group follower. AFP