Portsmouth, England – November 16, 2025 – In a chilling case of familial betrayal, Joshua Powell, a 27-year-old man from Lindford, Hampshire, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 26 years for the savage murder of his 96-year-old grandmother, Emma Finch. The sentencing, handed down on Friday, November 14, at Portsmouth Crown Court, followed Powell's guilty plea to the murder charge, which he entered in May 2025. The court described the killing as a premeditated act driven by Powell's desperate financial straits and a cold calculation to accelerate his inheritance, robbing a vulnerable elderly woman of her final years in a manner that prosecutors called "merciless."
The horrific events unfolded in the early hours of May 17, 2024, when emergency services were alerted to a fire at Ms. Finch's modest bungalow on Mill Road in Liss, Hampshire. At approximately 4 a.m., a carbon monoxide alarm triggered an automatic call to firefighters, who forced entry into the property and discovered a blaze raging in the back bedroom. Amid the smoke and flames, they found Ms. Finch's lifeless body on the floor, her neck bearing the unmistakable signs of violent compression. A post-mortem examination later confirmed that the 96-year-old had been strangled to death prior to the fire, with no traces of smoke inhalation in her blood, indicating she was already deceased when the blaze began. Forensic analysis revealed that Powell had used a belt – captured on CCTV footage as he left his nearby flat hours earlier – to carry out the strangulation. Traces of Ms. Finch's blood were found on the belt, which Powell later attempted to discard in nearby bushes, and additional forensic links tied him to the scene, including fingerprints on the wheels of the external key safe that he had manipulated to gain entry.
What made the crime all the more heartbreaking was the close bond Powell shared with his grandmother, whom he affectionately called "Oma." Despite her advanced age and partial deafness, Ms. Finch remained fiercely independent, living alone in her Liss home. Powell visited her weekly, assisting with grocery shopping, running errands, and enjoying quiet evenings playing Scrabble – activities that painted a picture of a devoted grandson. In a poignant apology letter submitted to the court, Powell himself described her as "the one constant in my life that I could count on," a woman whose "loving, caring" presence "brightened every room she entered." He professed profound remorse, writing, "The word sorry does not even begin to cover how I feel for the unforgivable, truly horrible crime I committed... From the bottom of my now destroyed heart and soul, I truly am sorry." Yet, this facade of affection masked a darker motive rooted in Powell's mounting debts. Court proceedings revealed he owed £2,500 to his landlord and around £8,000 to various creditors, leaving him "drowning in debt" and evading collection calls. Weeks before the murder, friends reported Powell complaining bitterly about his financial woes, explicitly stating he hoped his grandmother "would die soon because he was skint" and anticipated inheriting a significant sum as her primary beneficiary. On the very day of the killing, he casually discussed potential inheritance windfalls with a work colleague, speculating on the value of Ms. Finch's estate.
Judge Michael Bowes KC, presiding over the case, pulled no punches in his remarks, labeling the murder a "savage killing" that repaid Ms. Finch's "nothing but love and generosity" with unimaginable cruelty. "It is clear you intended to kill Emma Finch, your grandmother," the judge stated. "You then tried to cover your tracks by setting a fire, intending to destroy Emma Finch's body, and telling lies." Despite medical evidence of Powell's Tourette syndrome and reduced cognitive function, the judge emphasized that he "knew perfectly well the difference between right and wrong," rejecting any diminished responsibility claims. The prosecution, led by Marie Watton of the Crown Prosecution Service, built an ironclad case using a web of digital and physical evidence: phone records showing the key safe code stored on Powell's device (despite his denials), CCTV capturing his departure with the murder weapon, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) tracking his car's movements, and even the fact that he had disabled his phone's location services around the time of the crime – a suspicious move that only heightened investigators' scrutiny. A missing knife from Ms. Finch's kitchen set was also recovered, further linking Powell to the scene.
The emotional toll on Ms. Finch's family was laid bare through a series of wrenching victim impact statements read in court. As a devoted mother of two, grandmother of six, and great-grandmother of three, Ms. Finch had lived a life marked by "courage and perseverance," her relatives said. Powell's mother, Catherine Powell, expressed her anguish, stating she would "struggle ever to forgive him for what he has done," a sentiment echoed by the broader family. Ms. Finch's son, Peter Finch – Powell's uncle – delivered one of the most haunting accounts, voicing his terror that in her final moments, as the life was squeezed from her, his mother may have recognized her attacker. "One of my biggest fears is that mum in those final seconds before she lost consciousness as you were strangling her, that she knew it was you, Joshua, and that being her final, haunting memory that she took to her grave," he said. "You betrayed your mum's love that night and that is something for which I can never forgive you... Did my mum, your oma, really deserve to be murdered for the balance of your inheritance? The question that only you can answer."
In the wake of the sentencing, the family released a collective statement encapsulating their 18 months of profound grief: "There are no words that can soften the pain we as a family have endured... but today’s conviction will finally help to ease that pain as we finally come to terms with mum’s untimely death." They portrayed Ms. Finch as a beacon of strength, adding that she could "now finally rest in peace knowing that justice has been served," allowing them to "begin the process to rebuild our shattered lives." Detective Chief Inspector Howard Broadribb, who led the investigation for Hampshire Constabulary, commended his team's meticulous work, which earned judicial praise for its thoroughness. "This is a tragic case that has had a significant impact on Emma’s family," he said. "Joshua’s callous actions took advantage of Emma’s trust in him... My thoughts and those of all the officers remain with her relatives."
Watton reiterated the prosecution's stance, noting how Powell's "actions stole Emma Finch’s final years and caused deep anguish to her loved ones." The case, she added, serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of unchecked greed within families, where trust is weaponized for personal gain.
As Powell begins his life sentence, the ripple effects of his crime continue to haunt those left behind. Ms. Finch's story, one of quiet resilience cut short by betrayal, underscores broader societal concerns about elder vulnerability and the pressures of financial desperation. While justice has been delivered, the scars on her family may never fully heal, a testament to the irreversible damage inflicted in those dark early hours of May 17, 2024.
