The uncle of a 28-year-old man being questioned over the murder of former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe has expressed shock, saying his legs 'turned to jelly' upon learning of the arrest. Widdecombe, 78, was found dead at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor at 11:40 am on Thursday after sustaining 'catastrophic head injuries.'
Arrest and Journey
A white British man was arrested outside his home in Rotherham, nearly 300 miles away, on Saturday. He is still being held on suspicion of murder and on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. The suspect is believed to have driven approximately 270 miles from Rotherham to Widdecombe's home, beaten her to death, and then driven back to South Yorkshire. He is not thought to have been known to South Yorkshire police and was not on the radar of the government's counter-terror Prevent scheme.
Uncle's Reaction
The suspect's uncle told the BBC: 'Things don't add up … To drive all that way and back in one day takes some doing. I would drive past his house nearly every day and 99 times out of 100 the car would be there. My legs went like jelly,' he said upon finding out about the arrest. The uncle lives nearby but hasn't seen his nephew properly in a decade.
Neighbor Accounts
Neighbors described the suspect as a quiet individual who rarely went out but was friendly when encountered, even taking in parcels for them. One neighbor, Courtney Foster, said: 'He used to take his dad out shopping while he was still alive, but since then he never really went out much.' The 28-year-old reportedly spent most of his time in his bedroom, caring for his father, an amputee, who died from cancer in December. 'He's the last person I would think would do anything like that,' the uncle added.
Investigation Details
Counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation. CCTV appears to show the suspect leaving the Rotherham address five hours before Widdecombe is believed to have been killed. A pole described by neighbors as 'a wooden baton' could be seen sticking out of the pocket of his cargo shorts. Ms Foster noted that a car left the property between 7:30 am and 8:00 am on Wednesday last week and returned around 5:30 pm or 6:00 pm. 'I was quite surprised at the time. I thought 'oh, the car's gone,'' she said.
