Police swarmed Buckfast Abbey this morning ahead of the funeral of Ann Widdecombe. Officers conducted an extensive search of the religious building’s grounds, including bushes, bins, flower beds and drainage. Mirrors were used to look underneath wooden containers of small trees as a sniffer dog went about its work.
Security measures at the abbey
Police also had to assign rucksacks to members of the media who had gathered a distance from the abbey. A requiem mass will be held as family and friends attend the service “for the repose of the soul” of Ms Widdecombe.
The former Conservative MP and Reform UK spokeswoman is being laid to rest after being killed in her home in Haytor, Devon, on July 8. Her body was kept in the abbey overnight, as per Catholic tradition. She was hit in the head 21 times with a hammer.
Murder charge and investigation
Joshua Kerry, 28, has been charged with Ms Widdecombe’s murder. Police are also investigating whether he could be linked to an alleged firebomb attack at Reform UK leader Nigel Farage’s home in 2025.
Tributes from a friend
Journalist Andrew Pierce, who is attending the funeral today, told The Express: “This is an incredibly sad day because I was friends with Ann Widdecombe for 30-odd years; I got to know her very well.”
He added: “Both fellow Catholics. I’ve always admired her conviction in politics… She never hesitated to share her strong opinions whether you liked them or not. But she was great fun. She was great company. Appalling the way her days ended. Brutally murdered in her home down here in Devon, which she loved. She used to talk to me all the time about how one day she hoped she’d be able to find a house on Dartmoor so she could go walking and read and relax. She never really did relax, did she?”
Funeral details
Ms Widdecombe always wanted her funeral to be at Buckfast Abbey, Mr Pierce said. He added that “there will be very few recognisable public figures” at the ceremony, and Conservative Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride is attending as the area’s MP. Senior Reform UK figures, including Mr Farage, are not expected to be at the abbey.
