A 28-year-old man has been charged with the murder of former Member of Parliament Ann Widdecombe following an alleged hammer attack at her home in Devon. Joshua Kerry is accused of striking Widdecombe 21 times with a hammer and stealing her wallet, according to details presented in court.

The incident reportedly occurred shortly after midday on July 8 at Widdecombe’s remote bungalow in Haytor. Evidence from a doorbell camera showed a red Vauxhall Corsa, believed to be driven by Kerry, arriving outside the property. Inside the home, a hallway camera captured the 78-year-old politician sitting in the kitchen eating lunch before Kerry allegedly entered and asked if she had bank cards and identification. He then allegedly attacked Widdecombe, striking her repeatedly on the head.

Widdecombe was found the next day, lying face-down on the kitchen floor by a gardener who had been asked to check on her after she missed a scheduled interview with Channel 5. The court heard that the provisional cause of death was “blunt force injury to the head.”

Kerry was arrested days later at his residence in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, approximately 265 miles from the scene of the attack. During a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, he wore a grey prison tracksuit and responded only to confirm his personal details. A hammer and black gloves containing Widdecombe’s DNA were recovered from bins outside Kerry’s property, prosecutors said.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring informed Kerry that he was charged with murder, an offence that must be tried in the Crown Court. At a subsequent hearing at the Old Bailey, Mr Kerry was remanded in custody by Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb. He is due to appear at the Old Bailey again on October 9 for case management, with a further plea and trial preparation hearing scheduled for November 20. A provisional trial date has been set for June 8, 2027.