A 28-year-old man from Rotherham has been charged with the murder of former Conservative minister and Reform UK spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe, prosecutors told Westminster Magistrates' Court on 21 July 2026.

Joshua Kerry, of South Yorkshire, appeared in the dock — the enclosed area where defendants stand in court — and spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address. He did not indicate a plea (whether he admits or denies the charge). He was remanded in custody, meaning held in prison, to appear at the Old Bailey, London's Central Criminal Court, later the same day.

Prosecutor Kashif Malik set out the case for the Crown. The court heard that the alleged attack took place on 8 July at Widdecombe's home in Devon, while she was eating lunch. Kerry is said to have arrived at the property in a red Vauxhall Corsa and entered through the front door. Prosecutors said he was inside for approximately two minutes.

During that time, according to the prosecution account, Kerry hit Widdecombe repeatedly with a hammer, tipped her from her chair, took her wallet and drove off. The court heard that Widdecombe was struck on the head 21 times. A provisional cause of death was given as blunt force injury to the head (BBC News).

The discovery of Widdecombe's body came about through a chain of events that began the same afternoon. Widdecombe had been due to attend a pre-arranged online interview with Channel 5's Matt Allwright show shortly before 13:00 BST on 8 July. When she failed to appear, the production team contacted her personal assistant, who in turn asked Widdecombe's gardener to check on her.

The gardener entered the house through the open front door on 9 July and found Widdecombe lying face down on the kitchen floor with a serious head injury (BBC News).

At the time of her death, Widdecombe was serving as a Reform UK spokeswoman (Falmouth Packet, Leader Live). Her long parliamentary career, which included serving as a Home Office minister under John Major, had ended years before her alignment with Reform UK. Her death while holding a party role places this case within the broader context of security concerns for prominent political figures.

The case moves to the Old Bailey, where a plea and trial preparation hearing will follow. The magistrates' court proceedings were limited to the formalities of charge, identity confirmation and remand, as is standard for a matter sent to the Crown Court — the higher criminal court in England and Wales that handles serious offences. No bail application was reported, and no plea was entered at this stage.

Kerry showed no visible emotion during the hearing, according to the court reporting. The speed of the alleged attack — two minutes from entry to departure — and the theft of a wallet alongside the fatal violence are matters the prosecution will need to address at trial in establishing motive and intent. The defence has yet to set out its position.