Widdecombe murder suspect charged with planning terror act against Farage

Joshua Kerry, 28, has been charged with one count of preparation of terrorist acts, including conduct alleged to have been directed against Nigel Farage, counter-terrorism police said. The Crown Prosecution Service brought the charge on Friday. Kerry, from Rotherham in South Yorkshire, is already accused of murdering Ann Widdecombe.

Police said the terror charge relates to activity alleged to have taken place between 31 May 2024 and 8 July this year. Kerry was due to appear at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday, according to police. The force described the wider investigation as hugely intensive and complex.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said the charge followed a long-running and complex investigation. She said it was the result of work by investigators across the Counter Terrorism Policing network, and that a dedicated team of detectives, analysts and forensic experts had pursued multiple lines of inquiry before arriving at what she called a very serious charge.

Widdecombe, 78, was a spokesperson for Farage's Reform UK party and a former Conservative minister. She died in July, and a court has previously heard that she was struck on the head with a hammer 21 times at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon. Her gardener found her lying face down on the kitchen floor on the morning of 9 July, and emergency services declared her dead shortly afterwards.

Kerry is accused of her murder. During a hearing at Westminster magistrates court in July, he spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address, and was not asked to indicate a plea.