Kerry to face joint trial over Widdecombe murder and terrorism-preparation charges
Joshua Kerry, 28, accused of murdering former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe, will stand trial in a single case combining murder and terrorism-preparation charges.
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb granted the prosecution request for joinder, the legal term for hearing linked charges together, at the Old Bailey on Friday 9 October, the BBC said, and fixed 8 June next year for a five-week trial. BBC
Mrs Widdecombe was 78, Yahoo said, and a former Conservative minister. Yahoo She was a spokeswoman for Reform UK, the Independent said. Independent She died in Haytor, Dartmoor. The Crown Prosecution Service said it decided to prosecute Mr Kerry for murder following a police investigation into her death. CPS
Mr Kerry had already been charged with her murder in July. He appeared for the latest hearing by video link from Belmarsh prison, the BBC said. BBC The prosecution told the court the murder had a terrorist connection. It said the murder was politically and ideologically motivated, the BBC said. BBC
The second charge is a further allegation of preparing terrorist acts. Mr Kerry is charged with engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts between May 2024 and July 2026, Reuters said. Reuters The prosecution argued the two charges were inextricably linked and should be tried together. The judge agreed.
The alleged preparation, as set out by prosecutors, included online reconnaissance, meaning online research, of prominent people and institutions. It included travelling to Nigel Farage's home in South London on 19 April 2025. It included trying to break into that home, the BBC said. BBC
On motive, prosecutors alleged Mr Kerry had a particular hostility to Reform, the BBC said. BBC They alleged he had an extreme left-wing and/or anti-establishment mindset. Prosecutors said analysis of his phone revealed particular hostility towards Reform UK, the Telegraph said. Telegraph That allegation was made on Friday, the BBC said. BBC
Nicholas Lumley KC, for the defence, said Mr Kerry is likely to contest all charges against him. The trial will last five weeks. The next hearing in the case will be on 29 January, the BBC said. BBC
The broader context here is procedural rather than political, and it matters for how this case will be managed. Joinder of a homicide count with preparation counts is not routine case management. It requires the court to accept that the evidence on each overlaps enough that separate juries would hear much of the same material twice, with the attendant risk of inconsistent findings. The prosecution case, as presently alleged, ties the killing to the wider preparation through ideology, targeting research and hostility to one party. If that link holds to trial, the Crown will invite one jury to consider intent across both counts. If it frays, the defence will have a clear route to argue severance, meaning splitting the charges, or to challenge the admissibility of the phone and reconnaissance material, meaning whether the jury can hear it, on the murder count.
Looking at what this means for Westminster, the timetable is now the fixed point. A January case management hearing with a June trial date gives both sides roughly eight months to complete disclosure, the sharing of prosecution material, expert evidence on devices and ideology, and argument on bad character and terrorist connection. Until pleas are entered and reporting restrictions allow fuller detail, the only authoritative account remains what was said in open court and in the charging decision.
