Police were still guarding a property in Rotherham as the investigation into the suspected murder of former politician Ann Widdecombe continued, with attention focusing on reports of CCTV linked to the arrested man. The development matters because it suggests officers were preserving a potentially important search scene while examining evidence said to trace the suspect’s movements before Widdecombe was killed.

According to the reports, a 28-year-old man from South Yorkshire had been arrested on suspicion of murder after Widdecombe, 78, was found dead at her home in Devon. Wider coverage of the case said CCTV appeared to show a man leaving the Rotherham address on the morning of the killing, possibly carrying a stick-like object, and driving south; police had not publicly confirmed all of those details, but they were continuing forensic work and appealing for information as they investigated motive and timing.