Former British politician Ann Widdecombe was struck 21 times in the head with a hammer while eating lunch inside her rural home, prosecutors told a London court Tuesday.
The horrifying new details emerged as Joshua Kerry, 28, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with murder in the killing that stunned Britain’s political class.
Widdecombe, 78, a former Conservative member of Parliament and Reform UK spokeswoman, was found dead at her home in Haytor, a village on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in southwest England.
Prosecutor Kashif Malik told the court that Kerry drove to Widdecombe’s isolated home while she was eating lunch, repeatedly beat her with a hammer and then took her wallet before leaving.
Blunt force injury to the head was listed as the provisional cause of death.
Kerry was charged Monday after being held in custody following his arrest on suspicion of murder and acts of terror.
Police are still investigating his motive, including whether the killing had a political or terrorist connection, prosecutors said.
Widdecombe is believed to have been attacked July 8 after she failed to appear that afternoon for a scheduled TV interview.
Her gardener found her dead the next day.
Kerry was arrested July 11 in South Yorkshire, more than 250 miles from Widdecombe’s home.
He was initially arrested on suspicion of murder.
After police discovered new evidence while he was in custody, he was rearrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
The Crown Prosecution Service later authorized a murder charge.
Widdecombe served in the House of Commons from 1987 to 2010 and held office as a prisons minister under Conservative Prime Minister John Major in the 1990s.
She became known as one of Britain’s most outspoken socially conservative voices, opposing abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights while refusing to soften her views for the political class.
GB News Home and Security Editor Mark White says Ann Widdecombe died after she was hit on the head with a hammer 21 times at her home in Devon on July 8, prosecutors have told Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
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After leaving Parliament, Widdecombe became a fixture on British television, appearing on “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Celebrity Big Brother.”
She later joined the Brexit Party and briefly served as a member of the European Parliament before Britain left the European Union in 2020.
Most recently, she joined Reform UK, where she frequently appeared in the media as the party’s immigration and justice spokeswoman.
Her killing has renewed fears over political violence in Britain, where lawmakers and public figures have faced deadly attacks in recent years.
Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist.
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Conservative MP David Amess was stabbed to death in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.
Now Widdecombe’s death has added another grim name to that list.
Police have not publicly established a motive, and Kerry has not entered a plea.
But the court details alone were enough to horrify a country already on edge about the safety of public figures, especially those on the right who speak bluntly about immigration, crime and culture-war issues.
Widdecombe built her career by saying what polite society did not want to hear.
She was tough, unapologetic and impossible to bully into silence.
Her final moments, as described in court, were savage.
And until police explain why she was targeted, the questions around her murder will only grow louder.
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
