The uncle of a man detained in connection with the suspected murder of former MP Ann Widdecombe has described his disbelief, telling the BBC his legs 'went like jelly' upon hearing of his nephew's arrest. He stated he 'nearly fell to the floor' and that his nephew was 'the last person I would think would do anything like that'.
The 28-year-old white British man was arrested on Saturday in South Yorkshire. He is currently being held on suspicion of murder and on suspicion of the commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism. Ms Widdecombe, aged 78, is believed to have been attacked at her home in Haytor, Devon, on 8 July. Her body was discovered a day later, with police confirming she had sustained serious injuries.
Speaking from Rotherham, the uncle, who lives near his nephew but has not seen him regularly for about a decade, recalled him as a 'quiet and unassuming boy' who was 'gentle and polite' and 'everything that a shy, young boy would be'. He also mentioned that his nephew had been living with his father until his father's death a few months ago.
A neighbour of the suspect, Courtney Foster, also noted that she rarely saw him. She recounted that the suspect 'used to take his dad out shopping while he was still alive, but since then he never really went out much'. Ms Foster also observed a car leaving the property in Rotherham between 07:30 and 08:00 BST on Wednesday, 10 July, returning around 17:30 or 18:00 the same day, an unusual occurrence that surprised her.
The uncle expressed scepticism about the timeline, commenting, 'Things don't add up... To drive all that way and back in one day takes some doing. I would drive past his house nearly every day and 99 times out of a 100 the car would be there.' Counter-terrorism police stated on Tuesday that they believe Ms Widdecombe's killing was a 'targeted attack', though investigations into the motive are still ongoing.
Ann Widdecombe served as a Conservative MP for Maidstone in Kent for 23 years, holding ministerial roles in John Major's government between 1994 and 1997. After leaving Parliament, she gained further public recognition through appearances on television programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2018. She later served as an MEP for the Brexit Party from 2019 to 2020 and joined Reform UK in 2023. Tributes have poured in for Ms Widdecombe since the announcement of her death, with the news of a murder investigation prompting shock and broader discussions about the safety of public figures.