Joshua Kerry to face single trial over Widdecombe murder and Farage terror plot
Prosecutors say Joshua Kerry's murder and terror charges are linked and will be heard in one trial in June 2027; he is accused of killing Ann Widdecombe and plotting against Nigel Farage.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Joshua Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, has appeared in court charged with the murder of Ann Widdecombe and with preparing acts of terrorism. Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister and Reform UK spokeswoman, was found dead at her home in Devon in July. Police say she was hit 21 times with a hammer.
The terrorism charge covers one count of preparing terrorist acts between 31 May 2024 and 8 July 2026. Counter-terrorism police say the alleged acts included targeting Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. The Crown Prosecution Service said it reviewed the evidence and concluded there was sufficient evidence to bring the case to court.
Prosecutors allege Kerry carried out online reconnaissance of prominent people and institutions over more than two years. They say he built up a target list and on one occasion travelled to Farage's home in South London and tried to gain entry. In April 2025, Farage's partner returned home to find the wooden frame of the front door hanging off and lighter fluid in the porch. A mark on the door was allegedly caused by a 27mm blade. The incident was reported to police at the time and initially investigated as an attempted burglary. It was closed, then reopened by counter-terrorism police in August after a new line of inquiry. Kerry was interviewed about the allegations at Belmarsh prison in September.
Kerry first appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court, where he was remanded in custody. He later appeared at the Old Bailey. Prosecutors argued that the murder and terrorism charges were a single course of conduct and were inextricably linked. They said the murder was politically and ideologically motivated and alleged Kerry had an extreme left-wing and/or anti-establishment mindset, with particular hostility towards Reform UK. The judge agreed to join the charges. A trial was set for 8 June 2027. Kerry appeared by video link from Belmarsh with his arms crossed or folded, and his lawyers said they would contest the charges. He is next due to appear at the Old Bailey in the new year.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the charges were extremely concerning and expressed profound sympathies with Nigel Farage and his family. She said an attack on anyone in politics is an attack on us all, and that the case raised serious questions about the security of MPs. She said she would update Parliament on work to strengthen protections when it returns. Reform UK said the case showed why Farage needed 5 million pounds for security for life. Farage has repeatedly complained that authorities did not take his security seriously enough. The case has also renewed debate about threats to politicians, after the murders of Jo Cox and Sir David Amess. Kemi Badenoch said an ex-IRA member had pleaded guilty to threatening to kill her and argued that threats to politicians are increasing.
Kerry is innocent until proven guilty. The charges are allegations that will be tested in court.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 5 or more of 6 channels | ||||||
| Joshua Kerry, already accused of murdering Ann Widdecombe, has also been charged over alleged preparation of terrorist acts, with the charge covering late May 2024 to 8 July this year and alleging multiple acts including against Nigel Farage. | ||||||
| Joshua Kerry is scheduled to make his first court appearance on the terrorism charge at Westminster Magistrates Court next Wednesday. | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | ||||
| Reported by a few · 2–4 channels | ||||||
| Joshua Kerry was remanded in custody and was due to appear at the Old Bailey on Friday. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | |||
| The Home Secretary said the case raised serious questions about the security of people in public life and promised an update after Parliament returns. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Ann Widdecombe's death was reported as separate from the terrorism charges. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | |
| In August, counter-terrorism police reopened a year-long investigation into an alleged firebomb attack at Nigel Farage's home in south London. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Joshua Kerry is 28 years old and from Rotherham. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | |
| Ann Widdecombe was a former Conservative minister and later a Reform UK spokeswoman, MEP, and spokesperson on immigration and justice. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Ann Widdecombe was found dead at her home in Devon; she was a 78-year-old former Conservative minister and Reform spokeswoman. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Counter-terrorism police said the investigation was hugely intensive and complex. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| Joshua Kerry has also been accused of murdering Ann Widdecombe, who was found dead at her home in Dartmoor. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | ||
| Nigel Farage's partner found damage to the front door and a bottle of lighter fluid in the porch in April 2025. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Only on one channel | ||||||
| After evidence was re-examined following Ann Widdecombe's death, a counter-terrorism policing staff member was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Kemi Badenoch said an ex-IRA member had pleaded guilty to threatening to kill her and her family. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Kemi Badenoch said threats to politicians were increasing and called for a crackdown. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Prosecutors allege that Kerry researched targets, travelled to Nigel Farage's home and tried to gain entry. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| The CPS said prosecutors work closely with police to establish sufficient evidence to bring the case to court. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | |
| The Crown Prosecution Service said there was sufficient evidence to bring the case to court. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| The Home Secretary said she was determined to strengthen protections for those who choose to serve. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The Home Secretary said the new charges were extremely concerning and offered sympathies to Nigel Farage and his family. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News led with the breaking charge and stressed the wording and legal process. It included the standard caution that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and tied the case to wider concerns about the protection of people in public life.
- “the man accused of murdering the former Conservative government minister, Ann Widdecombe, has also been charged with a terror offence, and the targets included the leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage.”
- “the wording of the charge is quite interesting. It covers the period from the end of May 2024 through to the 8th of July of this year”
- “the next step here legally is that next Wednesday, Mr Kerry will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court for his first appearance in relation to this terrorism charge.”
The channel combined rolling national coverage with local and political reaction. It reported court appearances and the later Old Bailey hearing in detail, including the prosecution's claim that the killing was politically motivated. It also carried an interview in which Kemi Badenoch linked the case to wider threats against politicians.
- “Counter-terrorism police say Joshua Kerry, who's 28 and from Rotherham, is now accused of one count of preparation of terrorist acts relating to alleged activity between May 2024 and July 2026.”
- “Prosecutors say the man accused of killing the former conservative MP Ann Widdecombe was motivated by an extreme left-wing and or Anti-establishment mindset”
- “the judge agreed that the two charges could be brought together in one case His team said that they would be contesting the charges and the trial will be in June next year”
ITV1 treated the charge as a major breaking news development and later focused on the short court appearances. Its coverage highlighted the government's response and the security questions raised for MPs, as well as details of the earlier alleged attack on Farage's home.
- “Counter-terrorism police have tonight charged the man accused of murdering Ann Widdecombe with plotting against the Reform Party leader Nigel Farage.”
- “The case relates to the alleged fire bombing of Farage's London home in April of last year.”
- “Joshua Kerry was this morning remanded into custody. He'll appear at the Old Bailey this Friday.”
Sky News provided frequent live updates and detailed legal reporting. It was the clearest on the Old Bailey decision to join the charges and the trial date. Its correspondents described Kerry's appearance and the prosecution's case that the murder and terror allegations were a single course of conduct.
- “Counter-terror police have charged 28-year-old Joshua Kerry from Rotherham in South Yorkshire with preparing terrorist acts, including against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage”
- “Joshua Kerry's accused of researching targets and traveling to the home of the Reform UK leader where he attempted to gain entry”
- “prosecutors say that the murder and the terrorist charges Represent a single course of conduct and are inextricably linked”
GB News mixed the charge into its front-page review and political debate. It gave the basic details of the terror charge and later reported the Old Bailey claim that Kerry had a left-wing extremist and anti-establishment mindset. Its coverage also framed the case around security and political hostility.
- “The man accused of killing Ann Widdecombe has been charged with a terror plot against Nigel Farage amongst other offenses”
- “He's charged with one count of preparation for terrorist acts relating to alleged activity between the 31st of May, 2024 and the 8th of July, 2026.”
- “The prosecution also say that Joshua Kerry is allegedly a left-wing extremist with an anti-establishment mindset and that he also had a particular hostility towards reform.”
5 News focused on the court process and the short procedural hearing. It explained why no plea was entered and set out the prosecution's allegations about research into prominent people, including Nigel Farage.
- “Joshua Kerry appeared here at Westminster Magistrates Court earlier today. It's a very short hearing lasting just over four minutes.”
- “there was no plea because of the severity of this case. It's been referred to the central criminal court, the Old Bailey, where he'll be appearing later this week on Friday.”
- “the prosecution alleged that Joshua Kerry had been researching other prominent people and institutions for more than two years, including identifying the home address of Mr Farage.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.