Right-wing ex-MP Ann Widdecombe was allegedly hit 21 times with hammer, court hears

London: British prosecutors said Monday they had charged a 28-year-old UK man, Joshua Kerry, with the murder of veteran right-wing former MP Ann Widdecombe, as police probed a potential "political or terrorist connection".

"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, a spokesperson for the far-right Reform UK party and a former Conservative minister, was found dead in her home in Devon, southwest England on July 9 after sustaining "serious injuries".

At Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, prosecutors alleged that Widdecombe was struck 21 times on the head with a hammer during the attack, which was partially captured on a camera inside her home. Prosecutor Kashif Malik said the 78-year-old was eating lunch when the defendant allegedly entered her home and asked, "Don't suppose you have bank cards and ID?" before attacking her and taking her wallet. No plea was entered during the hearing.

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 offences.

Kerry was arrested in his hometown Rotherham in Yorkshire, in northern England, about 300 miles (500 kilometres) from Widdecombe's home.

Widdecombe had been due to appear in a live television interview on July 8 but failed to do so. She was found the following day after her personal assistant asked a gardener to check on her welfare.

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 sympathiser, while Conservative lawmaker David Amess was killed in 2021 by an Islamic State 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.

- with inputs from AFP