Family of Ann Widdecombe murder suspect says arrest was shocking

Counter-terrorism officers took over the investigation into Ann Widdecombe’s death after new information and evidence came to light, police said. The shift came after the 78-year-old former Conservative minister turned Reform UK spokeswoman was found dead with serious injuries at her home in Devon on Thursday morning.

The family of the 28-year-old man held on suspicion of murder said the arrest had left them “flabbergasted”. His uncle said his legs “went like jelly” when he heard the news and said he “nearly fell to floor”. He also described Widdecombe’s death as a “terrible tragedy” and paid tribute to her as “strident and principled”.

Police initially said there was nothing to suggest the killing was politically motivated. They later said Widdecombe had been killed in a “targeted attack” and that investigators were not looking for anyone else. BBC reporting also said the suspect was not known to Prevent, the government’s anti-radicalisation programme.

The suspect was first arrested in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, before the inquiry widened. Police believe Widdecombe was attacked nearly 24 hours before she was found dead, a detail that sharpened scrutiny of the timeline around the killing and the circumstances in which she was discovered at her Devon home.

The family said there had been “no red flags” in the suspect’s behaviour and relatives reportedly said they could not think why anyone would do this. That reaction has sat alongside a fast-moving investigation in which officers have moved from an initial murder inquiry to a case now being led by counter-terrorism detectives, while the legal threshold for any charge remains separate from the shock of the arrest itself.