Man charged with hammer attack that killed former MP Ann Widdecombe
A 28-year-old suspect has been charged with the murder of former MP Ann Widdecombe after a court heard he struck her 21 times with a hammer. He remains in custody pending a trial scheduled for 2027.
A London magistrates' court heard that Joshua Kerry, 28, entered the home of 78-year-old former MP Ann Widdecombe in Haytor Vale on July 8 and attacked her with a hammer. Prosecutor Kashif Malik said Kerry walked into the kitchen while Widdecombe was eating lunch and repeatedly struck her head, delivering 21 blows. The court described the provisional cause of death as a blunt-force injury to the head. Kerry was later brought before the Old Bailey criminal court, where a judge denied bail and ordered him remanded in custody. A case-management hearing is set for October 9, with a provisional trial date of June 8, 2027. British counter-terrorism police assumed control of the investigation on July 13 after initially finding no evidence that the killing was terrorism-related.