POLICE have said they are making further inquiries into social media comments by a University of Aberdeen staff member following the death of Ann Widdecombe.
Heather Herbert, a web developer at the university, said that she hoped the former Tory minister suffered an “extremely painful death” following the news that Widdecombe had died.
“I hope she was handcuffed to the bed as she screamed in agony,” Herbert wrote on Bluesky, referencing comments made by Widdecombe when she was prisons minister.
Herbert’s posts were made before police announced they were treating Widdecombe’s death as murder.
Police Scotland initially said there had been no criminality in relation to the comments made by the former Scottish Labour candidate.
However, the force has now confirmed the case remains under investigation.
“We received reports on Saturday, 11 July, 2026 relating to a post made online,” a spokesperson for Police Scotland said.
“Following further assessment, additional inquiries are being carried out.”
The University of Aberdeen said Herbert’s views do not represent those of the institution and the comments are being reviewed “as a priority”.
“The comments that have been shared are entirely the individual’s own and do not represent the views of the University of Aberdeen,” a statement from the institute said.
“Complaints into any member of staff are handled confidentially through our established processes.”
In response to the row, Herbert told The National that she felt the response to her post had been “hugely overblown”.
“I get that people are upset with me but it does seem to be the same people who are upset are also the people who have been spending the past few years calling me a snowflake for being upset with them when they call me a pedo or groomer, almost like it was never about free speech,” she said.
Widdecombe, a former Tory minister turned Reform UK spokesperson, was found dead at her home in Devon last Thursday, having sustained serious injuries.
Counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation into her death.
A 28-year-old white British man remains under arrest on suspicion of commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism, as well as on suspicion of murder, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said.
Counter-terrorism police are now in charge of the case after new evidence came to light – but a senior officer stressed the murder and terror investigations are currently working “in parallel”.
The head of Counter Terrorism Policing defended Devon and Cornwall Police for initially saying there was nothing to suggest a political motivation for the Reform UK spokesperson's murder.
It comes after Alison Hernandez, the police and crime commissioner for Devon and Cornwall, said she was confident the force had “provided a substantial and professional response” to the murder.
Taylor told reporters: “It is clear that this was a targeted attack.
“We are still working to understand the extent of any planning or preparation, and the motivation that sits behind that attack.
“I wouldn’t want to comment on what that motivation was.
“The two investigations are running in parallel.”
He continued: “In terms of the preparation and planning, we are aware that there has been some preparation and planning. I don’t want to go into the details of the extent of that at this stage.”
