Smiling in a newly surfaced photograph, Joshua Kerry has been identified as the man suspected in the killing of Ann Widdecombe.
Kerry, 28, is accused of targeting the 78-year-old former Conservative minister at her home in Devon in what investigators are treating as a suspected terrorist attack.
He has been living alone in a council house in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, following the death of his father last year.
The family is said to be well known on the Kimberworth Park estate, where several relatives have served in the armed forces.
His father, Paul Yates, was described as a “highly intelligent” former research engineer in the steel industry. He stopped working after losing a leg and was later diagnosed with stomach cancer in his 60s.
After leaving school, Kerry took an office job with a lift company. In 2022, he was photographed holding a jar of Easter eggs during a charity fundraiser for local sea cadets.
In a social media post shared by colleagues, he was described as being “part of the engine room” of the business.
Neighbours this week portrayed him as polite, “quiet and shy,” saying he would take out their bins or keep hold of parcels for them when needed.
Joshua Kerry, 28, who is suspected of having killed Ann Widdecombe on July 8, 2026, pictured taking part in a charity fundraiser to guess the number of Easter eggs in a jar
Joshua Kerry was captured on CCTV leaving his property shortly before 8am on the day Ms Widdecombe is believed to have been bludgeoned to death, with what appears to be a pole visible in the pocket of his shorts
Ann Widdecombe, a former MEP and Tory minister, pictured appearing on Talk TV on July 8, believed to be the day she was killed
‘While his dad was unwell, Josh would take him out shopping in his car,’ one resident said.
But after his father’s death he stopped work, and an eight-year-old red Vauxhall Corsa was usually in the driveway.
Born in Rotherham, Kerry was raised with his elder brother and half-brother by their teaching assistant mother Siobhan after his parents split up.
‘Joshua was such a quiet boy,’ an uncle recalled this week. ‘Gentle and polite.
‘I used to go around when they were all little, and the eldest two used to be playfighting, rolling about on the floor, and Joshua would just be sat in the corner, watching them.’
His parents remarried and siblings moved away to pursue successful careers, leaving him living alone in the council property.
An aunt said his father’s shock death around Christmas, when he was admitted to hospital ‘and never came out’, was ‘a nasty setback’ for Kerry.
Detectives believe the former Tory minister was killed around 12.30pm on Wednesday July 8.
Footage shows a group of armed officers descending on the 28-year-old’s property in Rotherham on Saturday
Forensic officers seen heading into the house in Rotherham, South Yorkshire where Joshua Kerry lived alone
Floral tributes have been left on the grass outside her home, including a framed photograph of Ms Widdecombe
According to neighbours he did not leave the house from Wednesday until Saturday when he was seen putting something into his wheelie bin.
Around 9pm that evening a dozen officers swooped, arresting Kerry on suspicion of murder.
Courtney Foster, 25, who lives next door, said: ‘We saw officers running up. Some were armed. Then they banged on the door very loudly.
‘They asked him his name, he confirmed it and they took him away.’
His car was towed the next day. A neighbour said he was ‘in shock’ over Kerry’s arrest.
‘He is pleasant, quiet as a mouse and from a lovely family,’ he said. ‘His mum and brothers were great – I couldn’t speak highly enough of them.’
Police initially treated the case as a botched burglary, but re-arrested Kerry on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism after allegedly discovering new ‘evidence’ to suggest a terrorist motivation.
He remains in custody and can be held for questioning until Tuesday.
