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CCTV appears to show Widdecombe suspect leave house with object in pocket
The suspect in Ann Widdecombe's murder investigation has been seen in CCTV footage appearing to get into a car in Yorkshire, hours before the former Conservative minister is thought to have been attacked in her home in Devon.
The man, dressed in a white shirt and shorts, can be seen getting into a red vehicle outside a house in Rotherham with a long object appearing to protrude from his shorts pocket, in footage time-stamped at 07:51 on Wednesday, first reported by the Sun., external
On Thursday, 78-year-old Widdecombe was found dead at her home in Haytor, Devon, having sustained serious injuries.
Her death sparked a manhunt, which culminated in the arrest of a 28-year-old white British man in Rotherham, South Yorkshire at around 21:00 on Saturday.
Police were continuing to question the suspect on Monday.
Devon and Cornwall Police earlier said there was "nothing to suggest" the murder was politically motivated.
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said officers remained "open-minded" about a potential motive and that there was not thought to be any threat to the wider public.
Image source, Reuters
Flower tributes were left outside Ann Widdecombe's home on Saturday
Devon and Cornwall Police previously said it believed Widdecombe was attacked on Wednesday at about 12:30.
The distance between Widdecombe's home and Rotherham, where the 28-year-old was arrested, is about 270 miles (430km) - about a four-and-a-half-hour drive.
At least two police vehicles were seen parked outside a property in Rotherham believed to be connected to the investigation on Sunday, which was cordoned off while officers and forensic teams worked at the scene.
Speaking to BBC News on Sunday, one neighbour said: "I was making some food in the kitchen and looked out the window, there was loads of banging, and there was armed police in the pathway and they just went into the house and pulled [the suspect] out."
Another neighbour said police took a red car off the drive.
Widdecombe served as the Conservative MP for Maidstone for 23 years, holding ministerial roles in Sir John Major's government between 1994 and 1997.
Following her departure from the Commons in 2010, Widdecombe appeared on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing that year, and was a runner-up on Celebrity Big Brother eight years later.
She joined the Brexit Party in 2019, where she represented South West England as its MEP from 2019 to 2020.
On Sunday, about 40 mourners gathered in Haytor Vale to pay tribute to Widdecombe.
