50-Year-Old Charged Following Ann Widdecombe Social Media Post
Police say the university employee faces charges after online comments about Ann Widdecombe’s death prompted a review and report to the procurator fiscal.
- Police Scotland arrested and charged a 50-year-old Aberdeen University employee on Saturday in connection with social media posts about the death of former MEP Ann Widdecombe, with a report submitted to the procurator fiscal.
- Before Widdecombe's death was treated as a murder inquiry, Herbert allegedly posted that the 78-year-old politician's death was "good news," expressing hope she died an "extremely painful death" while "handcuffed to the bed as she screamed in agony."
- Aberdeen University stated the comments "do not represent the views of the University of Aberdeen," while Police Scotland initially found no criminality but confirmed the case was under investigation following further assessment.
- Separately, a 28-year-old man remains in custody in South Yorkshire regarding the murder investigation itself, as Counter Terrorism Policing leads the probe into Widdecombe's death on July 9 at her Dartmoor home.
- Advocacy groups like Sex Matters have condemned the rhetoric as part of broader online aggression, while Herbert—who told The National the response was "hugely overblown"—remains under investigation by the Scottish Greens.
34 Articles
34 Articles
University worker charged after post 'wishing Ann Widdecombe a painful death'
Heather Herbert, 50, a web developer at Aberdeen University, has been charged in relation to posts on Bluesky made before it emerged that Ms Widdecombe's death was being investigated as murder
University Employee Arrested After Post Celebrating Ann Widdecombe’s Death
A 50-year-old trans employee of the University of Aberdeen has been arrested and charged after posting comments on social media celebrating the death of former pro-life Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe. The pro-life leader was found dead in her home in what police are investigating as a murder. Police Scotland said they received reports on Saturday, […] The post University Employee Arrested After Post Celebrating Ann Widdecombe’s Death appeared fi…
Aberdeen university employee arrested over comments about the death of Ann Widdecombe
An employee at the University of Aberdeen has been arrested and charged over comments she allegedly made online following news of the death of conservative British politician Ann Widdecombe. Heather Herbert was reported to police after posting comments on social media last Friday. She allegedly wrote that she hoped Widdecombe had “died a painful death” and “was handcuffed to the bed as she screamed in agony”. London, United Kingdom – May 23, 202…
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