A man has been charged with the murder of Ann Widdecombe at her home in Devon.

Joshua Kerry, 28, from Rotherham will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 21 July.

The 78-year-old former Tory minister and Brexit Party MEP was found dead at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon, on July 9 having suffered 'serious injuries'.

But detectives believe the Reform spokeswoman was killed at around 12.30pm the day before, shortly after giving a TV interview. 

Frank Ferguson, Chief Crown Prosecutor of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division said this evening: 'We have decided to prosecute Joshua Kerry for murder following a police investigation into the death of Ann Widdecombe in Haytor, Dartmoor.

'Police enquiries into the defendant's motives are ongoing, including a potential political or terrorist connection.

'Our prosecutors have worked closely with the police to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court, and we will continue working with them as their investigation progresses.'

Joshua Kerry, 28, who has been charged over the death of Ann Widdecombe, pictured taking part in a charity fundraiser to guess the number of Easter eggs in a jar

The former MP is believed to have been killed in her Dartmoor home on July 8, with her body discovered 24 hours later

Police searching Kerry's address in Rotherham, South Yorkshire

Devon and Cornwall Police initially focused on a theory that she may have disturbed a burglar, before counter-terror officers took over.

Kerry, a former maintenance scheduler at a lift firm, lived alone on the Kimberworth Park estate following the death of his father.

The 28-year-old was pictured in 2022 holding up a jar of Easter eggs as part of a charity fundraiser for a local charity.

Sharing the image, colleagues described Kerry as 'part of the engine room' of the firm.

Neighbours last week described him as polite, 'quiet and shy', saying he would take the bins out for them or hold on to parcels on their behalf.

Last week Head of Counter Terrorism Policing Laurence Taylor said officers believed that Ms Widdecombe was the victim of a 'targeted attack' but were still looking into the 'motivation' behind her killing.

Kerry was arrested on suspicion of murder on July 11 after officers - some of them armed - descended on his council house in South Yorkshire.

However two days later he was re-arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. 

Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said new information and evidence had come to light, prompting it to take over the investigation.

Ann Widdecombe, a former MEP and Tory minister, appearing on TalkTV on July 8, believed to be the day she was killed

A cordon around Ms Widdecombe's bungalow in Haytor on Dartmoor

Officers initially arrested a 26-year-old man in Devon the day after Ms Widdecombe's body was found - but he was released the following morning and is no longer part of the investigation.

Ms Widdecombe's final texts before her death possibly pinpoint the moment she was killed.

She was engaged in a conversation with a Channel 5 TV executive when her messages suddenly stopped without explanation.

A producer was discussing with the former MP her scheduled appearance on Channel 5's Matt Allwright show on July 8.

In a WhatsApp conversation shared with ITV News, the producer was discussing details about the appearance with Ms Widdecombe and asked her to join a Zoom call from her home.

The WhatsApp chat shows they were regularly exchanging messages between 12.14pm and 12.19pm.

The last message Ms Widdecombe sent at 12.19pm said: 'Received! Panic over!!'

A WhatsApp 'double blue tick' receipt shows Ms Widdecombe did read a response sent at 12.19pm, but did not read any of the subsequent messages from the producer, with the first follow-up sent at 12.48pm.

The ex–Tory minister was found dead at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor after sustaining serious injuries

The producer attempted to call Ms Widdecombe numerous times but received no answer.

At 12.55pm the producer asked: 'Hi Ann is everything ok?'

At 1.27pm Allwright confirmed live on his show that Widdecombe was scheduled as a guest, but that she had not turned up.

The show's production team followed up with Ms Widdecombe's agent later that day and the one after.

All of the WhatsApp messages have been passed on to the police.

Devon and Cornwall Police later said it is believed that Ms Widdecombe was attacked on July 8 at around 12.30pm.

She was a Conservative MP in Kent between 1987 and 2010 and held several ministerial positions in Sir John Major's government.

Ms Widdecombe appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.

She served as an MEP for the Brexit Party until Britain left the European Union, becoming immigration and justice spokesperson after it became Reform UK in 2023.

A hearing is scheduled at County Hall in Exeter at 10am on Tuesday to open an inquest into her death.

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