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Ann Widdecombe murder suspect charged with planning terror act against Nigel Farage

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Cite

Badshah, N. (2026, October 2). Ann Widdecombe murder suspect charged with planning terror act against Nigel Farage. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/02/ann-widdecombe-suspect-charged-with-planning-terror-act-against-nigel-farage

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Guardian · collected 2026-10-02 · by Nadeem Badshah
Content note This article describes violence described in detail.

Quick Summary

Joshua Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, has been charged with planning terrorist acts against Nigel Farage and is also accused of murdering Ann Widdecombe. Police say the alleged terrorist activities took place between May 31 and July 8, 2024. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans highlighted the intensive investigation by counter-terrorism police that led to these charges, which Kerry was set to face in court on Wednesday.
Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Joshua Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, has been charged with planning terrorist acts against Nigel Farage under the Terrorism Act 2006. The charge covers alleged activity between May 31, 2024, and July 8, 2026. Kerry is also accused of murdering Ann Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister and Reform UK spokeswoman, who was found dead on July 9, 2026, after being hit over the head with a hammer more than 21 times at her home in Haytor, Dartmoor, Devon.

Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, stated that this charge resulted from an intensive and complex investigation involving multiple lines of inquiry. Kerry is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. The Crown Prosecution Service's Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division confirmed their close collaboration with police in bringing the charges.

Written for “Farage Terror Plot Charge” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 22 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Farage Terror Plot Charge
Crime & Law · 23 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 9% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
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Hedges 1 of 8 claims Outlet record 68/100
The Sydney Morning Herald
Hedges 1 of 19 claims Outlet record 61/100
BBC News
Hedges 1 of 11 claims Outlet record 68/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 2 of 14 claims Outlet record 65/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 11 claims Outlet record 65/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 13 claims Outlet record 65/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 13 claims Outlet record 65/100
The Straits Times
Hedges 1 of 9 claims Outlet record 66/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 2 of 15 claims Outlet record 65/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
11
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
9%
1 of 11 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
The Guardian's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
23
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-02 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Guardian · 2758 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Nadeem Badshah
9 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 The charge relates to activity alleged to have taken place between 31 May 2024 and 8 July this year, counter-terrorism police said.
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Also by Nadeem Badshah
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 9 articles by Nadeem Badshah →

Topics

Counter Terrorism Policing Rotherham South Yorkshire Westminster the Crown Prosecution Service

Subjects

Kerry GPE · 2× Westminster GPE · 2× Ann Widdecombe PERSON · 1× Counter Terrorism Policing ORG · 1× Joshua Kerry PERSON · 1× Nigel Farage PERSON · 1× Rotherham GPE · 1× South Yorkshire GPE · 1× Vicki Evans PERSON · 1× the Crown Prosecution Service ORG · 1×

Narrative

Widdecombe, 78, a spokesperson for Farage’s Reform UK party and a former Conservative minister, died in July after being hit over the head with a hammer 21 times at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon, a court previously heard.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-02
🔮 The charge relates to activity alleged to have taken place between 31 May 2024 and 8 July this year, counter-terrorism police said.

Claims (11 extracted, 1 hedged)

The man accused of murdering Ann Widdecombe has been charged with engaging in conduct in preparation of acts of terrorism including against Nigel Farage, police have said. asserted
police → accuse → Farage
Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service on Friday with one count of preparation of terrorist acts. asserted
Kerry → charge → acts
The charge relates to activity alleged to have taken place between 31 May 2024 and 8 July this year, counter-terrorism police said. uncertain
police → relate → May
The senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, said: “We have been running a hugely intensive and complex investigation for some time. asserted
We → say → time
The charge announced today is a result of the tireless work of investigators across the Counter Terrorism Policing network. asserted
charge → announce → network
“This investigation has been led by a dedicated team of detectives, analysts, and forensic experts, working on multiple lines of enquiry, which has resulted in this very serious charge.” asserted
which → lead → charge
Kerry was due to appear at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday, police said. asserted
police → appear → Wednesday
Widdecombe, 78, a spokesperson for Farage’s Reform UK party and a former Conservative minister, died in July after being hit over the head with a hammer 21 times at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon, a court previously heard. asserted
court → die → Dartmoor
She was found lying face down on her kitchen floor by her gardener on the morning of 9 July and declared dead by emergency services shortly afterwards. Kerry is accused of her murder. asserted
Kerry → find → murder
The suspect spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address during a hearing at Westminster magistrates court in July. asserted
suspect → speak → July
He was not asked to indicate a plea. asserted
He → ask → plea
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