Ann Widdecombe, a 78-year-old former British government minister and prominent voice in the populist Reform UK party, was killed after being struck 21 times on the head with a hammer, prosecutors told Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. The attack, which occurred on 8 July at her isolated bungalow in Haytor, Devon, was partially recorded by a security camera inside the property, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Joshua Kerry, a 28-year-old man from Rotherham in South Yorkshire, appeared in court charged with murder. Prosecutor Kashif Malik said the accused drove more than 400 kilometres to the property, entered through the front door while Widdecombe was eating lunch, and asked, “Don’t suppose you have bank cards and ID?” He then allegedly struck her repeatedly with a hammer, tipped her from her chair, took her wallet, and left within two minutes. A gardener discovered her body the following day after she failed to appear for a scheduled television interview.

Kerry was arrested on 11 July at his home in northern England. Counter-terrorism detectives are leading the investigation, and police have said they are examining whether the killing had a political or terrorist motive, though no terrorism charges have been filed. A hammer and black gloves were recovered from bins outside his residence, and prosecutors said the victim’s DNA was found on the gloves. The provisional cause of death was given as blunt force trauma to the head, though the coroner has yet to establish a final medical determination.

Widdecombe served as a Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010 and was a prisons minister under John Major. She later joined the Brexit Party and became a European Parliament member before taking up a role as immigration and justice spokesperson for Reform UK. Her death has drawn attention to the security of public figures in Britain, following the murders of MPs Jo Cox in 2016 and David Amess in 2021. Kerry, who did not enter a plea, was remanded in custody and is due to appear at the Old Bailey on 9 October, with a provisional trial date set for June 2027. The investigation remains active, with authorities stating they are not seeking anyone else in connection with the incident.