A 28-year-old man suspected of killing former MP Ann Widdecombe allegedly drove 540 miles from Rotherham to her home in Devon, then returned home and ate a Pizza Express Sloppy Giuseppe supermarket pizza, according to CCTV evidence. The suspect, who lived alone with his Labradoodle Rave, left his home in a red Vauxhall Corsa at 7:51am on Wednesday, July 8, and returned by 6pm, The Sun reported. He did not emerge again for three days, leaving only on Saturday morning to put out his bin, wearing blue shorts and no top. Hours later, he was arrested.
Discovery of the body
Widdecombe, 78, a former Conservative MP and Reform politician, was found dead in a pool of blood in the kitchen of her remote Dartmoor bungalow on Thursday, July 9, approximately 24 hours after the attack. She was last seen during a Talk TV interview at around 8am on Wednesday but failed to appear on Channel 5's Matt Allwright show at 1pm that same day. Devon and Cornwall Police stated she had sustained serious injuries, and a murder investigation was launched.
Counter-terrorism involvement
On Monday, July 13, Counter Terrorism Policing took over the investigation after new evidence emerged. Head of National Counter Terrorism Policing Laurence Taylor described it as 'a dynamic and complex investigation'. He said: 'Building on the progress made by our colleagues in Devon and Cornwall Police, we now have new information and evidence that means Counter Terrorism Policing is now leading the investigation. We are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry to establish the motivation for this attack.' The 28-year-old suspect was re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
Earlier arrest and release
A 26-year-old man was initially arrested on Friday, July 10, at an address in Newton Abbot, near Widdecombe's home. He was released from custody on Saturday morning and is no longer part of the investigation. Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman confirmed there is no risk to the wider public and that the force is not looking for a second suspect.
Timeline of events
Widdecombe's death was announced by her management on Friday, July 10. Cloud9 Management said they were 'absolutely devastated' and urged anyone with information to contact police. Neighbours expressed shock, with Susan Coysh telling the BBC she last saw Widdecombe at a petrol station 10 days ago, describing her as 'a character and a lovely lady'. Another neighbour, Peter Cornthwaite, reported seeing a van arrive in the early hours of the morning on the day Widdecombe died, with a white man dressed in hiking clothes.
Police believe the attack occurred at around 12:30pm on Wednesday, July 8, as Widdecombe stopped responding to text messages at 12:19pm. She had been due to appear via Zoom on a Channel 5 show but did not turn up; a producer repeatedly messaged her asking if she was 'OK', but the WhatsApp communications went unanswered.
Political context
Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer declined to speculate on political motivations, stating: 'It's really important we remain vigilant. I'm not going to speculate about this particular case.' Assistant Chief Constable Longman said there is no information to suggest the crime was politically motivated. The force confirmed that despite counter-terrorism involvement, the death is not being treated as terrorism-related.
