A court has heard that former Conservative politician Ann Widdecombe suffered 21 blows to the head with a hammer during a fatal attack at her home in Devon earlier this month.
During proceedings at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, prosecutor Kashif Malik alleged that the incident occurred on 8 July while Widdecombe was having lunch.
According to the prosecution, Joshua Kerry arrived at the property in a red Vauxhall Corsa, entered through the unlocked front entrance and remained inside for only a few minutes.
The court was told that Kerry allegedly struck the former MP repeatedly with a hammer, knocked her from her chair and stole her wallet before leaving the scene in his vehicle.
Kerry, 28, from Rotherham in South Yorkshire, has been charged with murder.
He appeared before the court, where he confirmed his personal details but did not enter a plea.
He was remanded into custody and is due to appear before the Old Bailey.
Prosecutors said preliminary medical findings indicate that Widdecombe died from severe blunt-force trauma to the head, although the exact medical cause of death is still awaiting confirmation following a post-mortem examination.
The hearing further revealed that Widdecombe failed to attend a scheduled online interview with Channel 5’s Matt Allwright programme shortly before 1:00 p.m. on the day of the alleged attack.
After repeated attempts to contact her proved unsuccessful, her personal assistant asked the gardener to visit the house.
The gardener reportedly entered through the open front door the following day and discovered Widdecombe lying face down on the kitchen floor with catastrophic head injuries before emergency services were alerted.
The murder investigation has been led by counter-terrorism detectives, culminating in Kerry’s arrest and subsequent charge.
Ann Widdecombe enjoyed a distinguished political career spanning more than two decades.
She represented the Kent constituency of Maidstone as a Conservative Member of Parliament for 23 years and served in ministerial positions under former Prime Minister Sir John Major during the 1990s.
After leaving Westminster, she remained a familiar public figure, competing in Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and finishing as runner-up in Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.
She later returned to politics as a Member of the European Parliament for the Brexit Party before joining Reform UK as a spokesperson in 2023.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong