Uncle of Ann Widdecombe suspect says he ‘nearly fell to floor’ over arrest

The uncle of a man held on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe has told the BBC how he “nearly fell to the floor” when he heard his nephew had been arrested.

“My legs went like jelly,” he said. “He’s the last person I would think would do anything like that.”

He lives near his nephew, although he has not seen him properly for about 10 years. He remembers him as a “quiet and unassuming boy” who was “gentle and polite” and “everything that a shy, young boy would be”.

Former MP Widdecombe, 78, is believed to have been attacked at her home in Haytor, Devon on 8 July. Her body was discovered a day later, and she had sustained serious injuries, police said.

A white British man, 28, arrested on Saturday in South Yorkshire, is being held on suspicion of murder and on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

Counter terrorism police said on Tuesday they believe she was killed in a “targeted attack”, but they are still working to understand the motive.

Speaking to the BBC in Rotherham, the man, who we are not naming, said his nephew had been living with his father until his death a few months ago.

A woman who lives near the suspect also said that she did not see her neighbour very often. Courtney Foster said “he used to take his dad out shopping while he was still alive, but since then he never really went out much”.

She said a car left the property in Rotherham between 07:30 and 08:00 BST on Wednesday last week and was back by around 17:30 or 18:00.

“I was quite surprised at the time. I thought ‘oh, the car’s gone,'” she added.

His uncle said: “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.”

Tributes have been paid to Widdecombe since the announcement on Friday of her death, while news that a murder investigation had been launched has been met with shock and prompted wider discussion about the safety of MPs.

She served as a Conservative MP for Maidstone in Kent for 23 years and worked as a Home Office and employment minister in John Major’s government between 1994 and 1997.

After leaving Parliament, she appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.

Widdecombe became an MEP for the Brexit Party, representing South West England in the European Parliament between 2019 and 2020, and in 2023 joined Reform UK after the party changed its name from the Brexit Party.

Additional reporting by Mallory Moench