CHILLING texts, a car in the driveway and a 30-minute ‘attack window’ – Ann Widdecombe’s final hours before her horror ‘murder’ remain a baffling mystery as cops ramp up their investigation.
It comes as a suspect, aged 28, was yesterday arrested on suspicion of the ex-Tory minister’s murder around 270 miles away from the Devon crime scene in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
In an update this morning, Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman told the press the alleged murder is not thought to be politically motivated and officers are not currently looking for anyone else.
Ms Widdecombe, 78, was interviewed on TalkTV at around 8am via video link from her isolated bungalow named Widdecombe’s Rest, in Haytor Vale, and was due on Channel 5‘s Matt Allwight show at 1pm – but failed to appear.
The Reform UK immigration and justice spokeswoman was to answer questions about party leader Nigel Farage‘s Clacton-on-Sea by-election and the inquiry into his finances.
In exchanges later made public by show producers ITN, Ms Widdecombe messaged a staff member at 12.19pm telling them “Received! Panic over!!”
But she did not respond to a Zoom link sent half an hour later at 12.48pm before a producer messaged at 12.55pm asking: “Hi Ann is everything ok?”
During the show, Mr Allwight confirmed Ms Widdecombe had been due to appear but had stopped responding to messages.
Studio staff reportedly made multiple more attempts to contact Ms Widdecombe over the coming hours, including that night and the following morning – but to no avail.
Channel 5’s Dan Walker later confirmed her agent was then contacted and asked to go check on her.
It’s understood Ms Widdecombe’s carer found her body in the kitchen on Thursday morning and called 999 for an ambulance, who in turn notified police at 11.40am, nearly a full day after it is theorised she was killed.
Cops later revealed she had sustained severe blunt force trauma wounds after being bludgeoned in the head.
It is believed that her killer was caught on her home CCTV cameras.
On Friday, cops said they believed the attack took place at around 12.30pm on Wednesday – and were working on the assumption she died in burglary gone wrong.
While laying flowers at a memorial near the crime scene yesterday, Mr Farage told gathered press, he had been told a car had been seen on the driveway at approximately 12.25 to 12.30pm.
A 26-year-old man was initially arrested on Friday at an address in Newton Abbot, 11 miles from the scene of the murder.
He was later released from custody, with cops saying he is no longer part of the investigation.
Another man, aged 28, was subsequently arrested on Saturday evening in South Yorkshire, more than 200 miles from Ms Widdecombe’s bungalow.
Counter-terrorism officers from North East and South Yorkshire Police assisted with the arrest although there was no suggestion the incident is terrorism-related.
The suspect is described as a white British national.
A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said: “We can confirm that a 28-year-old man was arrested at an address in the South Yorkshire area this evening [11 July] on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe.
“The suspect, who is a white British national, is now in police custody.
“Miss Widdecombe’s family have been informed of this development.
“We were supported by Counter Terrorism Policing North East and South Yorkshire Police who carried out the arrest on behalf of Devon & Cornwall Police.
“At this time, there is still no information to suggest that this is a terrorism related incident and as a force we retain primacy of the investigation.
“This is a live and active investigation, and no further information will be issued tonight. We will look to provide further updates tomorrow [12 July].”