“A chair, a lunch, and a blocked door” – police reveal the scene of the Ann Widdecombe case upon arrival**

When officers first entered the remote Devon bungalow of former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe on 9 July 2026, the scene presented a series of quiet, almost ordinary details that stood in stark contrast to the violence alleged to have occurred there the previous day.

A chair remained near the entrance to the kitchen. On a surface nearby sat the remains of a half-eaten lunch. The front door was held open by a simple doorstop. Ms Widdecombe, 78, was found lying face down on the kitchen floor with serious head injuries. There were no immediate signs of a prolonged struggle, and no reports have emerged of neighbours hearing raised voices or other loud disturbances.

These observations formed part of the outline given by prosecutors when Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with her murder. The court was told that a provisional cause of death was blunt-force injury to the head and that Ms Widdecombe had been struck 21 times with a hammer. Kerry was remanded in custody and later appeared at the Old Bailey, where a provisional trial date of 8 June 2027 was fixed.

According to the prosecution account, Ms Widdecombe had been sitting by the kitchen entrance eating lunch when a red Vauxhall Corsa was captured on a Ring doorbell camera arriving outside the property. The alleged attacker was said to have been inside the bungalow for approximately two minutes. Prosecutors stated that he tipped her from the chair, took a wallet from her handbag, and left. The door, held open by the doorstop, was among the features noted when her body was discovered the following day by a gardener who had been asked to check on her after she failed to appear for a scheduled video interview.

The absence of any reported noise from neighbours and the limited time the alleged intruder was said to have spent inside have led investigators to examine whether the incident unfolded with extreme rapidity or whether elements of the scene reflected deliberate choices. The doorstop keeping the door ajar has been noted as a detail that could support a range of working hypotheses: whether it was left in place by chance, used to facilitate a swift exit, or served some other purpose. At this stage, none of those possibilities has been confirmed in open court.

Ms Widdecombe had last messaged a television producer at 12:19pm on 8 July. She did not respond to a text sent at 12:48pm and failed to join the live online segment of Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show scheduled for 12:50pm. Production staff continued trying to reach her for the next 24 hours before her secretary requested the welfare check. Police arrived shortly after midday on 9 July. Armed officers arrested Kerry three days later at his home, more than 260 miles away.

The inquest opening at Exeter Coroner’s Court heard that a full medical cause of death had not yet been formally established. Senior coroner Philip Spinney suspended the inquest pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings. Kerry, who confirmed his personal details in a strong Yorkshire accent during the short magistrates’ hearing, has been described as unemployed since working as an office administrator approximately two years earlier. He appeared calm in the dock, wearing a grey sweatshirt and tracksuit bottoms.

The quiet nature of the scene as first encountered has drawn particular attention because it sits alongside the severity of the injuries described in court. Investigators are understood to be examining the positioning of the chair, the state of the meal, the placement of the doorstop, and the absence of wider disturbance as they reconstruct the sequence of events. Ring doorbell footage of the vehicle’s arrival and departure forms a key piece of the timeline presented so far.

Public reaction has included tributes to Ms Widdecombe’s long career. First elected as a Conservative MP in 1987, she later served as an MEP for the Brexit Party and as a Reform UK spokeswoman. She was also known for appearances on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described her as someone who had brought conviction and an inimitable style to public life over nearly four decades. Prime Minister Andy Burnham called for a serious review of the safety arrangements for MPs and other public figures.

Kerry remains in custody. Further hearings are scheduled, with a case-management appearance listed for 9 October and a plea and trial preparation hearing for 20 November. Until the criminal process concludes, the formal inquest stays suspended. The details made public to date—the undisturbed chair, the unfinished lunch, the door held open by a doorstop, and the limited time the alleged attacker was said to have spent inside—continue to frame the questions that the investigation and any eventual trial will seek to answer.

What remains clear from the court outline is the compressed timeline alleged by prosecutors and the relatively undisturbed appearance of the rooms as first observed by those who entered. Whether that appearance reflects the speed of events, the actions of the person charged, or other factors is a matter still before the courts. The case continues on its procedural path, with the defendant presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise.