LONDON — Prosecutors in the United Kingdom have charged a 28-year-old man with the murder of veteran politician Ann Widdecombe, a Conservative former minister and member of the far-right Reform UK party.
Joshua Kerry was charged on Monday and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Tuesday.
“We have decided to prosecute Joshua Kerry for murder following a police investigation into the death of Ann Widdecombe,” said Frank Ferguson from the Crown Prosecution Service.
“Police enquiries into the defendant’s motives are ongoing, including a potential political or terrorist connection,” Ferguson said, after counter-terror police joined the investigation.
Widdecombe, 78, was found dead in her home near Dartmoor National Park in Devon, southwest England on July 9, a day after she missed a television interview. Police said she had been deliberately targeted but did not disclose how she died, citing only “serious injuries”.
Police previously said the murder was a “targeted attack.”
Days after her murder, police arrested a 28-year-old man, believed to be Kerry, on suspicion of “commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism” as well as suspicion of murder.
He has not yet been charged with any terrorism offenses.
Kerry was arrested in his hometown Rotherham in Yorkshire, in northern England, about 300 miles (500 kilometers) from Widdecombe’s home.
The murder of the high-profile 78-year-old sparked strong reactions from politicians, including Reform MPs who called for improved security for lawmakers.
Widdecombe is the third UK politician murdered in an allegedly targeted attack this decade.
Labour Party MP Jo Cox was murdered in 2016 by a neo-Nazi sympathizer, while Conservative lawmaker David Amess was killed in 2021 by an Daesh group follower.
UK media outlets have published a picture dated 2022 of a white man reported to be Kerry, bespectacled with long hair and a beard.
“It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information which could in anyway prejudice these proceedings,” Ferguson said in a statement, after social media was rife with speculation about the circumstances of the killing.
Widdecombe, a Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010, was known for her strong Christian faith and outspoken views.
She became a household name after she stepped down as an MP and was a fixture on reality TV shows and interview panels.
Source: Saudi Gazette