Suspect in Ann Widdecombe murder seen on CCTV getting into car with object
BBC News 2026-07-13 10:29:22
Context: Ann Widdecombe, a 78-year-old former Conservative minister, was found dead at her home in Haytor, Devon, on Thursday, having sustained serious injuries. The suspect in her murder investigation, a 28-year-old white British man, was arrested in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on Saturday. He was seen on CCTV footage getting into a car in Yorkshire with a long object protruding from his pocket hours before Widdecombe's murder.
Key Facts
- The suspect, a 28-year-old white British man, was arrested in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, at around 21:00 on Saturday and was being questioned by police on Monday.
- CCTV footage showed the suspect, dressed in a white shirt and shorts, getting into a red vehicle outside a house in Rotherham with a long object appearing to protrude from his shorts pocket at 07:51 on Wednesday.
- Ann Widdecombe was found dead at her home in Haytor, Devon, on Thursday, having sustained serious injuries, and was believed to have been attacked on Wednesday at about 12:30.
- The distance between Widdecombe's home in Haytor, Devon, and Rotherham, where the suspect was arrested, is about 270 miles (430km), approximately a four-and-a-half-hour drive.
- Devon and Cornwall Police received over 120 reports of information after making a public appeal, and Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman asked anyone who had not yet come forward to do so "as a priority" while cautioning against speculation about the motive.