Family announces public memorial for Ann Widdecombe

The family of Ann Widdecombe, the former Conservative minister and Reform UK spokesperson, announced on July 23 that a public memorial service will be held later this year. This follows her death and the first court appearance of the man charged with her murder.

Widdecombe, 78, was found dead with blunt force head injuries at her remote bungalow, Widdecombes Rest in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon, on July 9. Joshua Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, appeared at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, July 21, charged with her murder.

Prosecutors allege that on July 8, Widdecombe was eating lunch when Kerry arrived outside her home in a red Vauxhall Corsa, having driven several hundred miles from Rotherham. He is accused of entering through the front door and striking her on the head 21 times with a hammer. A provisional cause of death was recorded as blunt force injury to the head.

In a statement, her family acknowledged the public interest while requesting privacy for the immediate funeral arrangements. They said a private service for family and close friends will be held in the coming weeks, to be followed by a larger public memorial later in the year, the details of which will be...