Fury after university staffer Heather Herbert hoped Ann Widdecombe suffered ‘painful death’

Aberdeen University has sought to distance itself from a member of staff who posted that she hoped Ann Widdecombe had screamed in agony when she died.

Heather Herbert, a web developer at the Scottish university, had reacted to early news reports of the politician’s death on her Bluesky account.

She wrote: ‘Some good news for once.

‘I hope it was an extremely painful death.’

She added: ‘I hope she was handcuffed to the bed as she screamed in agony.’

The posts, which have not been deleted, were made before police announced they were treating Miss Widdecombe’s death as murder.

After being approached for comment on Saturday, she told the Gaudie student newspaper: ‘I don’t want to see anyone murdered, but I’m still glad she is dead.’

‘I’m not a hypocrite. I posted that before the murder investigation was launched,’ she continued.

‘I’m a nobody. I have no power to do anything. Ann Widdecombe was able to and made the lives of ordinary people hell.’

Aberdeen’s Principal and Vice Chancellor, Professor Peter Edwards, said an investigation had been launched into her comments.

He said: ‘Ann Widdecombe was a highly respected figure in both the Westminster and European parliaments.

‘The University of Aberdeen does not tolerate violence or hateful behavior in any form.

‘We are aware of the incident and the concerns that have been raised and are looking into the matter as a priority.’

University bosses have now released a statement saying these views do not represent those of the institution and the comments are being reviewed ‘as a priority’.

A statement posted on Facebook: ‘The University is aware of social media posts made by a member of staff regarding the death of Ann Widdecombe and is reviewing this as a matter of priority.

‘The comments that have been shared are entirely the individual’s own and do not represent the views of the University of Aberdeen.

‘Complaints into any member of staff are handled confidentially through our established processes.’

Aberdeen University rector Iona Fyfe added on social media she had received a significant number of emails about Herbert’s remarks but highlighted she has no responsibility over the behavior of staff.

The Metro has approached Herbert for comment.

Miss Widdecombe, 78, was found suffering fatal injuries inside her remote Dartmoor home when she stopped answering text messages and didn’t join a scheduled interview on Thursday.

Police investigating the alleged murder of the Reform UK spokeswoman have said they ‘are not looking for anyone else’ after a 28-year-old man was arrested.

Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said a 28-year-old white British man was arrested on suspicion of murder in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, shortly after 9pm on Saturday with the support of Counter Terrorism Police.