BUNGALOW WHERE ANN WIDDECOMBE DIED GOES ON SALE FOR £900,000
A five-bedroom bungalow on Dartmoor where Ann Widdecombe died has gone on the market for £900,000. Widdecombe, a former Conservative MP, was found dead at the property on 8 July, discovered by her gardener on the kitchen floor. Blunt-force trauma was recorded as the provisional cause of death, and she is alleged to have been struck on the head with a hammer 21 times. Joshua Kerry, of Rotherham, was charged with her murder on 20 July. The bungalow, at Haytor on Dartmoor, is marketed by Knight Frank under its former name, Thurlecot.
Widdecombe named the bungalow "Widdecombe's Rest" after retiring from frontline politics, and the sign bearing that name has since been removed. The house has five reception rooms, a heated outdoor swimming pool and a wooden stable, set in gardens with views across the moor. An estate agent's brochure note states: "A significant event occurred at the property in 2026, involving the unlawful death of an occupant. Further details can be provided by the agent." The pool was reportedly built with money Widdecombe earned from her 2010 appearance on Strictly Come Dancing with Anton du Beke.
Widdecombe bought the bungalow for £600,000 in 2008, meaning the guide price marks a 50 per cent rise. She was killed while having lunch at the property, prompting a police operation and extra security to deter visitors from taking photographs at the scene. She was first elected as a Conservative MP in Kent in 1987, served as a prisons minister in the 1990s, and later became an MEP for the Brexit Party. She was serving as Reform UK's spokeswoman on immigration and justice at the time of her death.