It is alleged a man drove nearly 300 miles from his home to Ann Widdecombe’s bungalow in Haytor, Devon, where the veteran politician and reality TV star was found dead
The murder of former British politician Ann Widdecombe is being investigated by Counter Terrorism Police with a suspect re-arrested on a terrorism offence, police said today.
Authorities confirmed Counter Terrorism Police are leading the probe after the suspect, originally detained on suspicion of Miss Widdecombe’s murder, has been re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. This gives police the powers under the Terrorism Act to detain a suspect without charge for up to 14 days.
Devon and Cornwall Police had previously faced a race against the clock to bring charges after the initial arrest. The head of UK counter-terrorism policing, Laurence Taylor, said: “Building on the progress made by our colleagues in Devon and Cornwall Police, we now have new information and evidence that means Counter Terrorism Policing is now leading the investigation.
“We are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry to establish the motivation for this attack. Our priority is progressing this investigation quickly, with all the capabilities we have available to us. If anyone has any information, please share it with the police.”
Who are Counter Terrorism police?
Counter Terrorism Police work with the UK intelligence community to help protect the public and our national security. Officers from forces across the UK collaborate to prevent, deter and investige terrorist activity.
The unit says “choices have to constantly be made about resources” but they lead investigations on cases deemed to pose a threat to national security. It is unclear what the “new information and evidence” is on the Miss Widdecombe case but this has led to CTP taking the lead on this one.
Investigations have taken place in Devon and South Yorkshire (the latter where the latest arrest was made) with CTP’s team covering the whole of the UK. They generally become involved where there is suspected terrorism or offences under UK terrorism legislation. Now, the suspect has been re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
What happens next?
The re-arrest on alleged terrorism offences gives police the powers under the Terrorism Act to detain a suspect without charge for up to 14 days. Devon and Cornwall Police had initially said there was nothing to suggest the attack was terrorism-related, but investigations are ever evolving as new information comes to light.
But, like Devon and Cornwall Police said, Counter Terrorism Police has urged “anyone with any information” to share it with them online.
How significant is this?
Previously, the case was being led by Devon and Cornwall Police — because the offence happened in Devon. However, they received help from South Yorkshire Constabulary whose officers arrested the suspect on Saturday in Rotherham.
This meant the case had already used resources from at least two constabularies. Counter Terrorism Police uses such collaboration, with officers from forces across the UK.
Crucially, while Devon and Cornwall Police faced a shorter period in which to bring charges against the suspect, the latest development gives Counter Terrorism Police much more time. They have powers to detain the man, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, for up to 14 days while they continue to investigate.




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