Ann Widdecombe Murder Inquiry Reopens Burglary Case
Police probe initial handling of London incident after ex-MP's death; Joshua Kerry charged with murder.
Callum Smith
Counter-terrorism police are investigating the death of former MP Ann Widdecombe.
No arrests were made during the initial investigation into the attempted burglary; the case was subsequently closed.
Vicki Evans confirmed officers have re-opened an investigation into an incident reported to police in April 2025, now part of the ongoing inquiry into Ann Widdecombe's murder.
Evans added that providing this update was of critical importance.
Joshua Kerry, 28, was charged with Ann Widdecombe's murder on July 20.
The 78-year-old former Conservative minister, who represented Maidstone, Kent, and later served as a Member of the European Parliament for the Brexit Party, was reportedly ambushed in her own kitchen by a hammer-wielding intruder while having lunch.
Prosecutor Kashir Malik claims Ann Widdecombe was found dead, lying face down in the kitchen of her Dartmoor home on July 9, having allegedly been struck 21 times on the head with a hammer.
Malik further claims Joshua Kerry walked into the former MP's kitchen through an unlocked front door, asking, 'Don't suppose you have bank cards and ID?' while holding a hammer out of sight.
The defendant then reportedly struck her on the top of the head with the hammer 21 times, before tipping her out of the chair onto the floor.
He then allegedly reached for her handbag, took out her wallet, and left the property.
Ann Widdecombe reportedly died from a 'blunt force injury to the head', with a provisional cause of death from the pathologist given as such.
However, Philip Spinney, senior coroner for the county of Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, stated that a postmortem examination has taken place, but the precise medical cause of death has yet to be established.
A mandatory referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) regarding the handling of the initial investigation into the attempted burglary.
We can confirm that the IOPC has decided to independently investigate the conduct of a Counter Terrorism Policing London staff member following a referral received earlier today.
An IOPC spokesperson confirmed the decision to independently investigate the conduct of a Counter Terrorism Policing London staff member following a referral received earlier today.
The IOPC spokesperson stated, "We can confirm that the IOPC has decided to independently investigate the conduct of a Counter Terrorism Policing London staff member following a referral received earlier today."
The conduct relates to an allegation that the individual failed to identify and pursue a line of inquiry relating to an attempted burglary reported in April 2025, according to the IOPC spokesperson.
Counter Terrorism Policing London has been notified of this decision, with no further information available at this early stage, the IOPC spokesperson confirmed.
Counter Terrorism Policing has identified a line of inquiry that was not pursued at the time of the initial burglary investigation, while Counter Terrorism Policing London claims it identified a line of inquiry which may have been relevant but was not identified and pursued by them at the time.