Ex-UK government minister Ann Widdecombe was hit with a hammer 21 times, prosecutors say

LONDON (AP) — A man charged with murder in the killing of former British politician Ann Widdecombe in her home struck her 21 times on the head with a hammer, a prosecutor told a court hearing on Tuesday.

Joshua Kerry, 28, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London over the killing that shocked the public and the political establishment.

Widdecombe was eating lunch when Kerry drove to her house in an isolated southwest England village. He repeatedly beat her with the hammer and then took her wallet as he left, prosecutor Kashif Malik said.

Blunt force injury to the head was listed as the provisional cause of death.

Kerry was charged Monday while in custody after being arrested on suspicion of murder and acts of terror. Police are continuing to investigate his motive, including a potential political or terrorist connection, prosecutors said.

Widdecombe, 78, a former member of Parliament and government minister, was a prominent political voice known for her blunt-spoken socially conservative views opposing abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.

She is believed to have been attacked on July 8, when she failed to appear that afternoon for a scheduled TV interview. She was found dead by her gardener on July 9.

Kerry was arrested on July 11 in South Yorkshire, a county in northern England, more than 250 miles (400 kilometers) from the village of Haytor, on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, where Widdecombe lived.

He was originally arrested on suspicion of murder, but after finding new evidence while he was custody, he was rearrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

Widdecombe was a MP in the House of Commons from 1987 to 2010, serving as a prisons minister in Prime Minister John Major’s 1990s Conservative government.

She found fame after leaving Parliament as a contestant on the reality television shows “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Celebrity Big Brother.”

She later joined the Brexit Party, briefly serving as a member of the European Parliament before Britain left the European Union in 2020. Most recently, she joined the anti-immigration Reform UK, often appearing in the media as the party’s immigration and justice spokesperson.

Widdecombe’s killing has renewed concerns over the security for politicians, which had been tightened in the past decade after the murders of two prominent MPs. Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.

Brian Melley, The Associated Press