Senior Reform UK figures call for more information about Widdecombe suspect
The 78-year-old party spokeswoman was found dead at her home in Devon on July 9 with serious head injuries.
Joshua Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, appeared in court on Tuesday charged with her murder, with prosecutors revealing that she had been hit on the head with a hammer 21 times.
He is due to attend a plea hearing at the Old Bailey in November and a trial at the same court in June next year.
Strict rules around contempt of court mean that once a suspect has been charged, only limited information about the case can be published in order to avoid prejudicing any future trial.
Contempt of court rules are designed to protect criminal justice proceedings from outside interference to make sure they are fair, and avoid the publication of anything that would cause a substantial risk of serious prejudice to a trial.
The punishment can be up to two years in prison or a fine.
Both Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and deputy leader Richard Tice took to X to call for more information to be made public about the suspect’s political beliefs.
Mr Farage asked: “Why will no one report on Joshua Kerry’s political views?”
While Mr Tice declared: “We deserve to know the answers, immediately, not be forced to wait many many months for a trial.”
Detectives are continuing to investigate any possible political motive for Miss Widdecombe’s murder, and on Monday head of UK counter-terrorism policing Laurence Taylor called for officers to be given time to work on the “particularly intensive and complex investigation” into her death.
He added: “As criminal proceedings are now under way, and to avoid impeding the judicial process, we will not be making any further comment on the investigation unless absolutely appropriate.”
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Reform know exactly what they are doing, they get close to the line but encourage others to cross it. There needs to be a fair trial and doing this prejudices the proceedings.
Tommy ten names nearly did this in a trial for grooming. Reform need to zip it and let the law do its job.
The guy who has decided to bypass the Parliamentary Standards inquiry to set up a court of his mates instead is now attempting to prejudice a live murder investigation. He is only digging for the information required to give tinpot Tom the order to ‘GO’ on the next PCR riot. (Pure Cold Rage). The ‘Farage is lawless’ riot number 3.
In other words, they want to egg people on to pervert the course of justice, just as they’ve done in the past.
If Putin says sabotage something, they do as they’re told.
Call me cynical but the timing of these demands seems a bit suspicious given that convicted criminal “Posh” George Cottrell was spotted hapily swanning around Reform HQ on Tuesday. Seems like a perfect distraction doesn’t it?
There’s still time for Nigel to wangle a contempt of court charge to bolster his establishment victim status before the bin fight.