Ann Widdecombe died after she was hit on the head with a hammer 21 times at her home in Devon, prosecutors have told Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

The former MP and MEP died on July 8 at her house in Haytor on Dartmoor after having sustained serious injuries.

Joshua Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, today, July 21, appeared in court charged with the murder of Widdecombe.

Kerry was arrested on suspicion of murder on July 11, two days after Widdecombe was found dead.

Ann Widdecombe’s cause of death was revealed today (July 21) (Image: Oscar Rihil/PA Wire)

Man in court over hammer murder of Ann Widdecombe

Kerry was also arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, but he has not been charged with this offence.

Kashif Malik, prosecuting, said that on July 8, Widdecombe did not attend a pre-arranged online interview at just before 1 pm, which would have been aired live on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show.

The show’s production team tried to contact Widdecombe through her personal assistant, who then asked the family gardener to check on her, the court heard.

Prosecutors said he found the politician lying face down on her kitchen floor with a serious head injury the next day, July 9.

Malik said that on July 8, Widdecombe had been eating lunch when Kerry allegedly pulled up outside the front of her house in a red Vauxhall Corsa and entered through the front door.

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Kerry then allegedly used a hammer to hit Widdecombe on the top of her head 21 times, the court heard.

He is accused of tipping her from her chair and taking a wallet out of her handbag before leaving and driving off, having only been in the house for two minutes, the court heard.

A provisional cause of death was given as a blunt force injury to the head, the court heard.

A bearded Kerry, who appeared in the dock wearing a grey tracksuit, spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and Byrley Road address.

Longtime ESPN broadcaster Karl Ravech is expected to be among the latest layoffs at the network, sources told The Athletic Tuesday.

The cuts follow ESPN’s decision Monday to part ways with NFL analyst Ryan Clark, with additional layoffs expected to hit behind-the-scenes staff. Most of the reductions are reportedly coming at NFL Network, including Tom Pelissero, one of the network’s top insiders, per The Athletic.

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The woman thought homeless Nathan George McGowan was a “good” person, funny and kind, when she allowed him to stay with her in January this year, said prosecution barrister Esther Bukoye.

But the victim soon realised he was a “Jekyll and Hyde” person, whose behaviour would change suddenly without warning and without cause. After he assaulted her, she hid anything he could use as a weapon against her and moved her beloved dog out of her house.

On January 23, he attacked her, “kicking her with so much force she fell back against a wall”, said the barrister. With blood pouring from a cut on her head, she went to accident and emergency and her dog, who was still living with her then, panicked and started having fits.

In a personal statement, the woman said: “Nobody deserves to be treated in this way, no matter how handsome you are, no matter how many crocodile tears you shed.”

She said: “You never knew which version of him you were going to see.”

On the day he was due to stand trial, McGowan, 32, of Harrogate, pleaded guilty to causing the woman actual bodily harm. Charges alleging other forms of violence were left on file, meaning they will appear on his record but not as criminal convictions.

His long criminal history includes 101 previous convictions and in 2019 he was jailed for six years and nine months for wounding a person with intent.

Judge Simon Hickey said the woman had given McGowan a home out of simple “Christian decency” and he had attacked her. McGowan was jailed for 13 months.

He was also banned from going near the woman’s home, contacting her in any way or through a third person, going to her place of work and posting anything about her on social media, or getting someone else to post about her, under a 10-year restraining order.

Defence barrister Chloe Hudson said McGowan had been trying to get help while remanded in custody but was finding it very difficult. He had mental health issues including anxiety.

He had no wish to resume the relationship with the woman and wanted to improve his life and move on.

The BBC Radio 2 star’s mum has become a star in her own right, appearing alongside Rylan on Celebrity Gogglebox

Rylan Clark has been flooded with messages as he was seen paying tribute to his mum, Linda, after sharing a glimpse at their sweet mother-son relationship.

The BBC Radio 2 star’s mum has become a star in her own right, thanks to appearing on her son’s Saturday afternoon show on the station, as well as joining him on the sofa for Celebrity Gogglebox.

And taking to social media at the start of this week, Rylan was seen celebrating his mum’s birthday. He took to Instagram with a beaming snap of the birthday girl, holding a glass of wine during a past sun-soaked holiday they had been on together.

Captioning the post, the TV and radio presenter gushed: “Happy Birthday to the best mum anyone could ask for. Love you so much mum @lindaclark still my fave photo of you xxxx.”

The birthday wishes from Rylan’s celebrity pals and followers soon came flooding in. Loose Women’s Ruth Langsford said: “Beauty! Happy Birthday @lindaclark. Have the best day. Love you.” Singer Louise Redknapp replied: “Love her!” Presenter Denise Van Outen commented: “Love your mum! Happy birthday.”

Steps star Claire Richards posted: “Oh Happy Birthday Linda! You really are the best. Have a great day.” Ru Paul’s Drag Race star and presenter Michelle Visage shared: “The greatest! HBD LINDA.” Chef and new Great British Bake Off judge Nigella Lawson also added: “Happy Birthday.”

In an interview earlier this year, Rylan revealed that once a week, his housekeeper takes his bins out ahead of collection day. Despite this, he added, his mum still rings him every Friday to remind him. And on occasion, he says, she will even turn up at his Essex mansion to bring them back in for him.

“On a Saturday, when I go to do my radio show, I’ll always drag the bins in,” he told Margie Keefe on the Tea with Nan podcast. “That’s just how I do it.”

Despite this, Linda is determined to lend her son a helping hand whenever possible. Rylan explained: “She has to come around 10am every Saturday morning. The bin men have only just left, she can see the lorry going, and she has to drag them in. Once, she’s fallen over the little metal bit of the gates. So, she’s done that once.”

Odhrán Kelly’s body was found beaten and burned inside a car ablaze in the Edward Street area of Lurgan in December 2023.

A woman from Co Galway today denied a charge arising from the murder of 23-year-old student nurse Odhrán Kelly.

Mr Kelly’s body was found beaten and burned inside a car ablaze in the Edward Street area of Lurgan in December 2023.

Crystal Angela Redden, from Gort Mhaoilir in Raheen, appeared at Belfast Crown Court today where she was arraigned on a charge of perverting the course of justice.

The 32-year old was charged that on December 7, 2023 she made and signed a false statement of evidence to police investigating the murder of Odhrán Kelly.

When asked by a court clerk how she pleaded to the charge, Redden replied “not guilty.”

She is the fifth person to have been charged with offences linked to Mr Kelly’s murder.

Lurgan men Gary Damien Scullion (34) from Edward Street and 34-year old Shane Harte from Garland Avenue have both denied murder, as has 45-year old Andrea Catherine Theresa Stevenson from Faulkner Heights in Bangor.

Stevenson was also charged with, and has denied, an offence of assisting others ‘in the removal and destruction of Odhrán Kelly’s body’, with the same charge levelled at and denied by Stephanie McClelland (38) from Lagmore Grove in Lisburn.

After it was confirmed that all five accused have now been arraigned, Madam Justice McBride said she would review the case on September 18 when it is hoped a date for the trial can be fixed.

Following this, Redden was released from the dock on continuing bail.

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Man Utd have raided Tottenham for highly-rated youngster Tynan Thompson and are set to step up efforts for Manu Kone amid opening talks with Crystal Palace for Ismaila Sarr. Spurs, after spending over £200m already this summer, could complete a double swoop for Savinho and Pedro Neto, while Liverpool are said to be interested in Spain’s World Cup final hero Ferran Torres. Follow the latest transfer news, gossip and rumours live below!

Along with the sixth new prime minister in a decade, the UK now has its eighth chancellor, ninth foreign secretary and 10th education secretary.

The turnover in Cabinet ministers since 2016 has been driven by the increasing scale and frequency of reshuffles carried out by successive premiers, with sweeping changes happening almost on an annual basis.

John Healey is the eighth new Chancellor of the Exchequer since 2016, in a sequence that began with Philip Hammond (2016-19), then Sajid Javid (2019-20), Rishi Sunak (2020-22), Nadhim Zahawi (63 days in 2022), Kwasi Kwarteng (31 days in 2022), Jeremy Hunt (2022-24) and most recently Rachel Reeves (2024-26).

By contrast, in the 10 years before 2016, only three people held the role of chancellor: Gordon Brown (up to 2007), Alistair Darling (2007-10) and George Osborne (2010-16).

There have been nine foreign secretaries in the past decade: Boris Johnson (2016-18), Jeremy Hunt (2018-19), Dominic Raab (2019-21), Liz Truss (2021-22), James Cleverly (2022-23), David Cameron (2023-24), David Lammy (2024-25), Yvette Cooper (2025-26) and now Ed Miliband.

This is more than twice the number in the preceding 10 years: Margaret Beckett (2006-07), David Miliband (2007-10), William Hague (2010-14) and Philip Hammond (2014-16).

The 10 education secretaries since 2016 began with Justine Greening (2016-18), then Damian Hinds (2018-19), Gavin Williamson (2019-21), Nadhim Zahawi (2021-22), Michelle Donelan (two days in 2022), James Cleverly (61 days in 2022), Kit Malthouse (49 days in 2022), Gillian Keegan (2022-24), Bridget Phillipson (2024-26) and now Lucy Powell.

There were just four education secretaries in the 10 years up to 2016: Alan Johnson (2006-07), Ed Balls (2007-10), Michael Gove (2010-14) and Nicky Morgan (2014-16).

According to our best understanding, the universe is expanding – and is doing so at an accelerating rate. This is believed to be caused by something called the “cosmological constant”, which was first proposed by Albert Einstein in his theory of general relativity. In recent decades, it has become better known as dark energy, which is believed to make up about 70% of the universe.

Crucial to this realisation were studies of Type Ia supernovae – exploding white dwarf stars. These are thought to emit a specific amount of light, which allows astronomers to determine their distances very accurately and thereby track the expansion of the universe. This work was awarded the 2011 Nobel prize in physics.

The accelerating expansion of the universe is thought to be due to negative pressure, an unusual property of dark energy that allows it to overcome the attractive force of gravity. Yet the exact nature of dark energy remains a puzzle. It cannot be explained by our best theory for the fundamental building blocks of the universe – known as the standard model of particle physics.

However, it is an integral part of another theory, devised to explain how the large-scale universe came to be. This is the standard model of cosmology, also called the lambda cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model.

Other observational evidence supporting the existence of dark energy includes fluctuations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) – the “afterglow of the Big Bang” – and the imprint of baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) – sound waves from the early universe – in the distribution of galaxies.

But the ΛCDM model has come under increasing scrutiny as new data has emerged. A conference hosted by the UK’s Royal Society debated emerging cracks in the standard cosmological model. It has been noted that the model’s past successes may partly be due to “confirmation bias” – the unconscious tendency to favour information that supports our existing beliefs while giving less attention to information that challenges them.

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Relax, the expansion of the universe is still accelerating

Flawed framework?

Most cosmologists remain unconvinced by such criticism and are instead persuaded by the multiple lines of evidence that the universe’s expansion is accelerating.

However, all such analyses, for example of the CMB or BAO, are conducted using a special solution of Einstein’s equations called the FLRW (Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker) framework. This is a description of space-time that assumes the “cosmological principle”, namely that the universe is, on average, homogeneous and isotropic (looks the same in all directions).

However, our recent study found evidence to falsify the FLRW framework, presenting results showing that the universe is asymmetric, or lopsided. We believe this presents a fundamental challenge to dark energy by undermining the very basis for standard analyses of cosmological data.

The observation that the universe may be lopsided is known as the cosmic dipole anomaly. This anomaly cannot be fixed by tweaking parameters in the ΛCDM model. It requires starting again from scratch to build a model of the universe based on observations, rather than on a philosophical principle.

The Nobel prize winning astrophysicist Jim Peebles has said that the cosmic dipole anomaly is about as well established as another cosmological irregularity known as the Hubble tension. However, he notes, the cosmic dipole anomaly has received only a fraction of the interest heaped on the Hubble tension.

With my collaborators, Mohamed Rameez and his PhD student Animesh Sah at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, we have also shown that the acceleration of the expansion of the universe inferred from Type Ia supernovae is not the same in all directions.

The signal from supernovae is mainly aligned with a temperature difference in the afterglow of the Big Bang – the cosmic microwave background. This temperature difference, called the CMB dipole anisotropy, is believed to be due to the local motion of the solar system.

‘Tilted observers’

The acceleration inferred from supernovae cannot therefore be due to dark energy. Rather, it is probably an illusion, because we are “tilted observers”. This is because of Earth’s specific location in the cosmos, where our neighbouring galaxies are participating in a large-scale but localised streaming motion called the bulk flow.

The relationship between the intrinsic brightness of Type Ia supernovae and their distance has been crucial to the idea of dark energy. However, this relationship may not be as robust as was first assumed.

Astronomers in South Korea found evidence that the ages of the white dwarf stars that produce Type Ia supernovae (their progenitors) affect their brightness. However, this has been challenged by another team.

When we corrected for the dependence of the intrinsic brightness on the progenitor age, the indication is that the universe is decelerating, rather than accelerating.

This is just as is expected for a universe without dark energy. But it will come as a surprise to most cosmologists who believe that there is compelling independent evidence for ΛCDM, in particular from studies of the CMB. But CMB temperature fluctuations are not influenced by dark energy. Rather, they are related to the spatial curvature of the universe, the baryon density, and the dark matter density.

Whether dark energy is still a valid inference thus depends on whether the distribution of matter in the universe is indeed isotropic – exactly the same in all directions. Observations suggest otherwise. If these findings are confirmed, they could signal a paradigm shift in cosmology.

Kaitlyn Lavery, who is from New York City, was keen to see what all the fuss was about when it came to the bakery after it won a prestigious award. She then gave her honest verdict

An American woman has shared her candid opinion after paying a visit to one of Edinburgh‘s most celebrated bakeries. Kaitlyn Lavery, hailing from New York City, made her way to Lannan Bakery in the Stockbridge area of the capital before taking to YouTube to share her thoughts.

In June 2024, Lannan scooped the coveted Pastry Opening of the Year Award at La Liste’s World Pastry Awards, which piqued her curiosity and prompted her to discover what all the excitement was about. “Let’s just say I was mesmerised when I saw all their pastries,” Kaitlyn admitted in a video, having arrived 30 minutes after the bakery had opened its doors.

Relieved that nothing had sold out, Kaitlyn and three companions purchased eight pastries between them after enduring a 45-minute queue to get inside. “I’m glad they were here because I literally could not decided what to get,” she said of her pals.

First up in her taste test was the Custard Slice with Bramble Icing, which she described as “not overly sweet”, though the custard was “nice”.

Kaitlyn then turned her attention to the Sour Cherry and Coconut Jaffa Cake. “Hopefully they have Jaffa Cakes in the US, but I think they may just be a UK speciality,” she mused after taking a bite. “The chocolate ganache was to die for. I love a cherry moment – I think cherries are underused.”

Regarding the cake itself, Kaitlyn noted it was “spongy” and a “little dense”, but concluded it was “really good” overall.

Turning her attention to the Raspberry and Tonka Flan, Kaitlyn admitted she hadn’t expected it to stray from traditional flan territory. “The inside was custardy… it was jammy and they make a mean raspberry compote,” she went on. “This ended up being my favourite thing.”

Next up was the sole savoury offering amongst the eight items – a straightforward sausage roll. “I keep getting them because I am enticed,” she remarked. “Just a lot of meat, every time.”

Returning to sweeter fare, Kaitlyn sampled Lannan’s Yuzu and Olive Oil Croissant. “It’s a combination I wouldn’t normally think to pair together,” she admitted. “But whatever olive oil they are using is high-a** quality and I’m a big fan of yuzu, especially in summer.”

Her subsequent choice was a meringue, which she briefly noted as “fluffy on top”, before moving onto a cinnamon bun. “I don’t know why everyone raves about these,” she commented. “I do like them and everywhere does them, but Lannan Bakery does a hell of a job with it.”

The penultimate item was the Majool Date and Butterscotch Bun. “This was like cavity-inducing,” she joked. “I think if you have a really big sweet tooth then this is for you. It was just way too much for me.”

Rounding off her tasting experience was a Cinnamon and Cream Cheese Bun. “Anytime cheese frosting enters the villa, you know it’s going to be good,” Kaitlyn concluded.

Having sampled everything on offer, she summed up her visit: “Make sure you go early and I do think it’s worth it.”

Lannan proudly describes its bakery online: “Founded in 2023, Lannan specialises in innovative viennoiseries using a harmonious match of traditional techniques and seasonal ingredients. From delicate croissants and cardamom buns, to nostalgic yet finessed Scottish bakery classics such as custard slice, iced buns and pineapple tarts.

“Our small, skilled and passionate team hand make every element from scratch in our kitchen on Hamilton Place – each component of our menu is thoughtfully considered and sympathetically executed.”