Man charged with murder of former British minister Ann Widdecombe
Joshua Kerry, 28, to appear in court as police investigate potential motives behind targeted attack
British prosecutors said on Monday a 28-year-old man had been charged with murdering former government minister Ann Widdecombe, and police said they were still investigating why she was attacked.
Widdecombe, 78, who was a prominent member of Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK, was found at her home in rural southwest England on July 9, after sustaining what police described as serious injuries. She stood down from parliament in 2010.
Joshua Kerry, a white British national from northern England, has been charged with her killing, Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service said. He will appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Police have said they believe Widdecombe had been clearly targeted, although the motive was still under investigation.
“I want to make it very clear that our investigation into this individual, determining his motivations and any wider activity he may have been involved in, is continuing,” Laurence Taylor, head of Britain’s counterterrorism policing, told reporters.
“Given her political profile and the targeted nature of the attack, determining the motivation, including any possible political motivation, remains an active avenue of investigation for our detectives.”