Prosecutors at Westminster Magistrates’ Court detailed on Tuesday the killing of former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe, alleging she was struck 21 times on the head with a hammer while eating lunch at her home in Haytor, Devon, on 8 July. The suspect, Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, appeared in court and was remanded in custody. He did not enter a plea.

Prosecutor Kashif Malik told the court that Kerry drove to the property in a red Vauxhall Corsa, entered through the front door wearing black gloves, and attacked Widdecombe in her kitchen. The assault, captured on security camera footage, lasted approximately two minutes, after which the suspect allegedly took her wallet and left. Widdecombe’s body was discovered the following day by her gardener, after she failed to appear for a scheduled television interview. A provisional post-mortem found the cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head. Kerry was arrested on 11 July in South Yorkshire, more than 400 kilometres from the scene, and was later rearrested under counter-terrorism legislation. The court heard that items belonging to the victim, including black gloves and a hammer, were recovered from bins outside his home.

The killing has prompted a counter-terrorism police investigation, with prosecutors stating that detectives are examining whether the attack had a political or terrorist motive. No conclusions have been reached. The incident has renewed concerns in Westminster about the security of elected officials, coming a decade after the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox and five years after the killing of Conservative MP David Amess. Widdecombe, a prominent and polarising figure, had served as a Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010 and as prisons minister under John Major, before later joining the Brexit Party and becoming a spokesperson for the anti-immigration Reform UK party led by Nigel Farage.

Kerry, who spoke only to confirm his identity during the hearing, was remanded to Belmarsh prison. A case management hearing is scheduled for 9 October at the Old Bailey, with a provisional trial date set for 8 June 2027. An inquest into Widdecombe’s death has been opened and suspended pending the criminal proceedings.