Ann Widdecombe stopped responding to text messages just moments before police believe she was attacked, newly released exchanges reveal.
Police said on Saturday that they believe Ms Widdecombe was likely attacked on Wednesday at around 12:30pm, nearly 24 hours before she was found dead at her Dartmoor home.
They have since arrested a 28-year-old British national at an address in the South Yorkshire area on suspicion of her murder.
The former Tory minister had been preparing to appear remotely as a guest on Channel 5‘s Matt Allwright show when she suddenly stopped responding to a producer, according to ITV News.
WhatsApp exchanges seen by the broadcaster show the last message from Ms Widdecombe came at 12:19pm, reading: “Received! Panic over!!”
She and the producer had been chatting regularly, and joking, from at least 12:14pm in preparation for the interview slot, which followed an earlier appearance on TalkTV that morning.
The texts show Ms Widdecombe read a 12:19pm reply suggesting that she message again if she had any issues, but did not open a further message timestamped 12:48pm asking her to join a Zoom meeting.
Five minutes later the chat show’s producer tried to call her, followed by a delivered but unread message asking: “Hi Ann is everything okay?”
Two more voice calls went without answer at 1:05pm and 1:14pm.
Allwright said on his show at 1:27pm that Ms Widdecombe was supposed to appear as a guest but had not turned up.
The Channel 5 production team notified her agent on Wednesday evening and followed up on Thursday morning, according to ITV, before ambulance crews found her at her home and notified the police at 11:40am.
Devon and Cornwall Police said on Saturday that they believe Ms Widdecombe was attacked sometime around 12:30pm – after her last sent message and before she stopped opening texts.
Channel 5 presenter Dan Walker confirmed on Friday that Ms Widdecombe had been scheduled to appear on 5 Daytime on Wednesday afternoon but “stopped responding to messages and didn’t turn up for the show”.
“The team contacted her agent to ask them to check in on her. This information has been passed to police as it’s part of the investigation,” he wrote on social media.
Police also reported on Saturday that a 28-year-old man has been arrested in South Yorkshire on suspicion of her murder. The suspect is a white British national and is now in police custody.
The force said there was no information to suggest the murder was related to terrorism or had a political motive.
Cloud9 Management, representing Ms Widdecombe, reported her tragic death on Friday, writing: “It is with great shock and sadness that today we announced the passing of the Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe DSG, aged 78. Cloud9 Management represented Ann for over a decade and we will miss her greatly.”
Timeline of Ann Widdecombe’s last known movements as murder probe launched:
Wednesday, 8 July:
08:00: Ann Widdecombe makes her final public appearance in a remote interview with TalkTV.
Early afternoon: Ms Widdecombe is in contact with a researcher from Channel 5 ahead of a remote appearance on the Matt Allwright show at 1pm, per ITV.
12:19: The researcher, after an exchange of messages, receives a final message from Ms Widdecombe, with 40 minutes until her interview.
12:48: The researcher messages again, asking Ms Widdecombe to join a Zoom link. She does not reply. They try texting and calling again to no avail. The research team contacts her agent and follows up Thursday.
Thursday, 9 July:
11:40: Officers are called to Ms Widdecombe’s home in Haytor by the ambulance service. There are reports she was found by a gardener or a carer earlier that morning.
Friday, 10 July:
06:30: Miss Widdecombe death is first reported.
17:47: Devon and Cornwall police say a man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. They identify him as a 26-year-old white British national, who they arrested in Newton Abbot, some nine miles away.
Saturday, 11 July:
06:30: Police say the man who was arrested on Friday has “since been released” from custody and is no longer part of their investigation.
23:36: Police say they have arrested a 28-year-old man in South Yorkshire on suspicion of Miss Widdecombe’s murder.
