Neighbours of a man arrested on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe have broke their silence after police swooped. The 28-year-old was arrested yesterday in South Yorkshire, nearly 300 miles away from her Dartmoor home.
Courtney Foster, 25, who lives on the road in the town’s Kimberworth Park suburb, told the Telegraph that the young man who had been arrested rarely left the property. She said: “He rarely comes out of the house, his dad used to do everything for him and I don’t know what he did for a living. I think once his dad died he went a bit loopy.”
Local residents in Rotherham described the early-morning arrest as chaotic and unsettling. Forensic officers entered a terraced house in the Kimberworth Park area on Sunday morning, with a heavy police presence including marked vehicles and a cordon around the property.
One neighbour recounted “loads of unmarked police cars” and officers running into the house, saying the scene left them feeling “quite sick.”
Another resident noted that the suspect had lived at the address for at least a year.
Ms Foster added that police also took the man’s dog — believed to be a labradoodle — during the arrest, which she described as particularly loud and disruptive.
The arrest follows the discovery of former Tory minister and Reform UK figure Ms Widdecombe dead at her remote bungalow in Haytor, Devon.
She was found on Thursday morning after sustaining serious injuries. Police believe the attack occurred around midday on Wednesday.
CCTV footage reportedly shows a young man leaving the Rotherham address at approximately 7am that day, before driving south in a red car with what neighbours described as “some kind of wooden stick” placed in the passenger side.
The journey from Rotherham to Widdecombe’s Dartmoor home takes roughly four hours. Devon and Cornwall Police have confirmed they are not seeking anyone else in connection with the murder.
At a press conference, Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman stated there is no evidence at this stage that the incident was terrorism-related or politically motivated, though detectives remain open-minded. He urged the public to avoid speculation that could distress Widdecombe’s family and friends.
Reform UK has begun reviewing emails sent to Widdecombe in recent weeks and is providing enhanced security for its MPs. Nigel Farage described the killing as appearing “premeditated” while laying flowers at the scene.
The contrast between the quiet South Yorkshire street and the brutal death of a prominent political figure nearly 300 miles away has shocked both communities.
Neighbours who once saw the suspect as a reclusive figure now find themselves at the centre of a high-profile national investigation.