Counter-terror officers revisit attempted burglary at Ann Widdecombe’s home

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Counter-terror detectives investigating the murder of Ann Widdecombe have reopened a separate inquiry into a reported attempted burglary at a London address in April 2025, after identifying a line of enquiry that police say was not followed up at the time. The development was disclosed on the evening of Friday 7 August 2026 by Counter Terrorism Policing, which stressed the update was being issued because of the high public interest in the case.

According to a statement from Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, the Metropolitan Police had originally investigated the attempted burglary with support from Counter Terrorism Policing London, but the case was closed without any arrests, pending further leads. Once officers reopened it, they identified a line of enquiry that "may have been relevant" but had not been pursued at the time. As a result, Counter Terrorism Policing London made what it called a mandatory conduct referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which has since opened an independent investigation into the conduct of a member of its staff over an allegation that they failed to pursue a relevant line of enquiry. Police say those affected by both investigations have been kept informed and have urged the public and media not to speculate.

The reopened inquiry sits alongside the continuing investigation into Ann Widdecombe's death. The 78-year-old former Conservative minister and Reform UK spokeswoman was found dead at her home in Haytor, on Dartmoor, in July 2026. Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was arrested on suspicion of murder days later and was also arrested, though not charged, on suspicion of offences relating to the preparation or instigation of terrorism. The Crown Prosecution Service subsequently announced its decision to prosecute Kerry for murder, with Chief Crown Prosecutor Frank Ferguson confirming that police enquiries into a possible political or terrorist motive were continuing alongside the criminal case. Kerry was due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 21 July 2026, and prosecutors have reminded the public that the proceedings are active, warning against reporting or commentary that could prejudice a fair trial.

Coverage of the reopened attempted burglary probe has varied in how explicitly it has been linked to other events. One report has connected the April 2025 incident to a previously reported attack on Nigel Farage's home, in which an alight incendiary device was allegedly posted through his letterbox, attributing that detail to reporting elsewhere. The official police statement, by contrast, describes only an attempted burglary at an unnamed address in the Greater London area and does not identify the property or name any individual associated with it. Reporting has also differed in emphasis: some accounts focus on the failings now under IOPC scrutiny and the questions this raises about police oversight in high-profile cases, while the CPS statement centres on the mechanics of the prosecution against Kerry and the ongoing effort to establish whether a political or terrorist motive was involved.

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• www.counterterrorism.police.uk
• www.cps.gov.uk