A neighbour of Ann Widdecombe has claimed a man wearing hiking gear appeared in the middle of the night before the body of the ex-Tory MP was found dead at her Dartmoor home
One of Ann Widdecombe’s neighbours has claimed a man in hiking gear turned up in the dead of night before the former Tory MP’s body was found. Miss Widdecombe was discovered at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor on Thursday having suffered “serious injuries” consistent with being repeatedly struck with a blunt object in her own kitchen on Thursday
A resident, understood to live directly adjacent to her, insisted they witnessed a van pulling up during the small hours on the day she is thought to have been killed. He informed The Sun the individual was white, British and clad in walking gear.
A 26-year-old man has meanwhile been freed from police custody following his arrest on suspicion of Miss Widdecombe’s murder. Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed he no longer forms part of their enquiries.
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said: “Our priority remains identifying those responsible and ensuring that all available evidence is thoroughly examined.
Detectives continue to carry out numerous enquiries as part of the ongoing investigation and we remain committed to establishing the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Police believe Ann Widdecombe was attacked in her home nearly 24 hours before she was found dead and are hunting for a white male suspect.
Devon and Cornwall Police’s Assistant Chief Constable, Matt Longman said Miss Widdecombe’s death is being treated as suspicious but “we do not believe there is a wider risk to the public”.
He said: “We believe the attack took place on Wednesday July 8 at around 12.30pm. Our inquiries are moving at pace for a suspect who is believed to be a white male.”
Police believe the killer could have been caught on CCTV in the area.
Miss Widdecombe was scheduled to appear on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show on Wednesday, but failed to turn up prompting concerns for her welfare. She featured on TalkTV on Wednesday, just one day before her body was discovered.
Miss Widdecombe served as a Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010 for the Kent seat of Maidstone, later Maidstone and the Weald, and occupied various ministerial roles under Sir John Major’s administration.
Following her departure from Parliament, she took part in the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, dancing with Anton du Beke, and made it through to the semi-finals courtesy of viewer support.
She joined Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party in 2019 and worked as an MEP for South West England in Brussels from 2019 to 2020.
Miss Widdecombe took on the role of immigration and justice spokesperson for Mr Farage’s Reform UK and continued her media work.