LONDON (AP) — Former British politician Ann Widdecombe was struck 21 times on the head with a hammer as she was eating lunch at home, a prosecutor told a court hearing on Tuesday for the man charged in her murder.Joshua Kerry, 28, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London over the killing that shocked the public and the political establishment.Widdecombe, 78, was eating around noon on July 8 when Kerry drove to her house in an isolated southwest England village, prosecutor Kashif Malik said. Kerry walked through the front door and beat her with a hammer, took her wallet and was gone two minutes after the attack began.Blunt force injury to the head was listed as the provisional cause of death.Kerry was charged Monday while in custody after being arrested on suspicion of murder and acts of terror. Police are investigating his motive, including a potential political or terrorist connection, prosecutors said.Kerry, who wore a gray sweatsuit, spoke only to confirm his identity and did not enter a plea. He was ordered held in custody and is scheduled to appear in the Central Criminal Court on Oct. 9.
Widdecombe, a former member of Parliament and government minister, was a prominent political voice known for her blunt-spoken, socially conservative views opposing abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.
