A 28-year-old man being questioned in connection with the killing of Ann Widdecombe is understood to be a reclusive figure who allegedly travelled 275 miles to her Devon home carrying what has been described as a “foot-long pole”.
The man, whom the Mail is not identifying, was arrested on suspicion of murdering the former Conservative MP after around a dozen armed officers raided his council property in South Yorkshire on Saturday night.
He is believed to have been filmed on CCTV leaving the house on a deprived estate in Rotherham between 6.30am and 7am on Wednesday, the morning the 78-year-old died.
Neighbours described the suspect as a recluse. Footage is said to show him getting into a red hatchback before allegedly making the roughly five-hour journey to Ms Widdecombe’s isolated home in Haytor, on Dartmoor.
Investigators believe the former Tory minister, who was found beaten to death the following morning, was killed shortly after midday on Wednesday.
Residents near the suspect’s home said he was unemployed and largely kept to himself, claiming he had become increasingly withdrawn after the death of his father last year.
But in the early hours of Wednesday, the man, who lived alone, was reportedly captured on CCTV leaving his terraced home and heading towards an ageing vehicle parked on the driveway.
“He comes out of the house and walks towards the red car,” said one neighbour who had seen the footage, which has since been passed to police.
Police were searching an address in Rotherham on Sunday where they arrested a man on suspicion of Ann Widdecombe’s murder
Forensic officers were seen heading into the house, after it was confirmed there is no evidence to suggest the murder was politically motivated
Ann Widdecombe was killed in her home on Wednesday last week and discovered 24 hours later
They said he appeared to be carrying a stick concealed under his top before placing it inside the car.
‘It looked like a wooden stick or an iron bar, about a foot long, and it was pushing up underneath his T-shirt as he got into the car,’ the person added.
‘He seemed calm and there is nothing to suggest anything unusual was happening.’
It comes as Devon and Cornwall Police said there was no indication that the violent murder was ‘politically motivated’ or ‘terrorism-related’ despite Ms Widdecombe’s public profile.
She was first elected a Conservative MP in Kent in 1987, went on to serve as an MEP for the Brexit Party and then a spokeswoman for Reform UK.
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said: ‘At this point, there is still no information to suggest that this is a terrorism-related incident and at this point we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this murder.
‘At this stage, there is nothing to suggest that it was politically motivated.’
He said detectives ‘remain open-minded about the potential motive’ and stressed it is not believed there is any threat to the wider public.
He urged people ‘not to share or engage with that speculation’, saying: ‘It’s unhelpful, it doesn’t aid our investigation and particularly it’s distressing to family and friends of Ms Widdecombe.’
Chief Constable James Vaughan, of Devon and Cornwall Police, added that the force has ‘mounted an extraordinary response to a horrific murder of a very prominent public figure’.
‘The operation has been running at a lightning pace for 48 hours,’ he added.
‘I am really pleased that we have a suspect firmly in custody and that will undergo some further work from us today.’
Forensic officers were still searching the man’s mid-terraced address in the town’s Kimberworth Park area on Sunday as uniformed officers stood guard outside.
Neighbours said around a dozen armed officers had surrounded the property at around 9pm on Saturday before knocking loudly at the door.
Courtney Foster, 25, who lives next door with partner Rayed Astle, 26, said: ‘We were in the kitchen and just saw the officers running up. Some were armed. Then they banged on the door very loudly.
‘They didn’t smash the door down because he opened it. They asked him his name, he confirmed it and they took him away.’
Ms Foster said police also took the man’s pet labradoodle, adding: ‘There were about 12 officers and quite a few cars. It was quite a shock.’
Describing the man, Mr Astle said that he had barely spoken to anyone since his father, who he had moved in with around a year ago, died last December.
‘He was someone you’d have a conversation with but that changed after his dad died. He became very quiet. He kept himself to himself and wouldn’t really speak to anyone,’ he added.
Ms Foster added: ‘He was always in the house and I don’t think he worked.’
Other neighbours said the man’s red Vauxhall Corsa ‘barely moved’ from the drive – to the extent it had begun to rust with weeds growing on it.
A cordon remains at Ms Widdecombe’s bungalow in Haytor, Devon, and police said locals will notice a heightened presence for the next few days
Floral tributes have been left on the grass outside her home, including a framed photograph of Ms Widdecombe
‘The car was normally left outside for long periods, so it just stood out that he was driving away so early in the morning,’ one added.
Another local said: ‘He is one of three brothers but the others moved out, so he was living on his own.
‘His father died before Christmas and I think it affected him. He seemed to change because he became even more introverted.
‘You would barely see him – to the point where you’d presume the house was unoccupied. Now and again you’d see the upstairs light on but that was it.’
Another resident, who witnessed the arrest, said: ‘The police came at about 9.10pm. There were about a dozen officers armed with guns, both in the front garden and the back garden.
‘They knocked on the door and he opened up. They asked his name and he was taken away.
‘It was quite quiet, really. There was no commotion….It was very quiet how they turned up. There was no lights, no noise – our Ring doorbell didn’t even go off.’
Neighbour Kingsley Whybrow, 29, said: ‘I’ve never seen anyone come in and out of that house, ever.
‘He drove a red Corsa that was parked outside – it had started to rust and there was vegetation growing on it. They came at about 3am to tow it away..’
One of the man’s brothers is believed to live in Devon, while a second brother and his mother, who is thought to have worked as a teaching assistant, are said to live locally.
Miss Widdecombe had stopped responding to texts messages regarding a TV interview around the time police she had been attacked.
She had been due to appear remotely as a guest on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show when she suddenly stopped responding to a producer at 12.19pm, according to ITV News.
The messages show she did not open a reply timestamped 12:48pm asking her to join the Zoom meeting which she failed to attend.
Reform UK is said to be reviewing emails sent to Ms Widdecombe in the weeks before her murder in search for any threats against her life.
The party has also said it is committed to providing round-the-clock security to its MPs in the wake of her death.
