THE GUARDIAN: Joshua Kerry appears at Westminster magistrates court charged with murder of former MP earlier this month
A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of the former MP and Reform UK spokesperson Ann Widdecombe.
Joshua Kerry, 28, is accused of killing the 78-year-old former Conservative minister at her home in Haytor, Devon, earlier this month, by hitting her on the head with a hammer 21 times.
During a brief hearing at Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday afternoon, Kerry, who was dressed in a grey sweatshirt and tracksuit bottoms, spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.
Widdecombe was found dead in her kitchen on the morning of 9 July. The prosecutor Khasif Malik told the court that a provisional cause of death was given by a pathologist as blunt force trauma to the head.
Malik said the alarm had been raised after she failed to attend a pre-arranged online interview for Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show the previous day.
Her body was found by her gardener and she was declared dead by emergency service shortly after, the court heard. » | Geraldine McKelvie and Jamie Grierson | Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Man, 28, charged with murder of former MP Ann Widdecombe: Joshua Kerry from Rotherham charged over killing of politician whose body was found at her Devon home »
