Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Strangling His 96-Year-Old Grandmother Over Loan Debt

A 27-year-old man, Joshua Powell, has been sentenced to life in prison after sneaking into his 96-year-old grandmother’s home at night and strangling her to death.

Investigators revealed that Powell attacked his grandmother while she was asleep, using a belt to strangle her before setting the bed she was lying on on fire.

The horrific incident took place in the early hours of May 17th, 2024, and firefighters later discovered the victim’s body at her property on Mill Road in Liss, Hampshire.

During his trial at Elmfield Court, Powell admitted to murdering his grandmother and was handed a minimum jail sentence of 26 years.

According to evidence shared in court, Powell committed the crime because he was in debt of more than £10,000, including unpaid rent to his landlord and outstanding payments owed to various companies.

The court also heard that his grandmother, known in the family as the Oma, had long tried to support him. She acted as a mother figure and had even offered him £3,495 from his inheritance in an effort to help him, tHE COURT SAID.

In an apology letter sent to the court, Powell referred to her as the “one constant in my life that I could count on”.

Judge Michael Bowes KC condemned Powell’s actions, telling him: “Emma Finch, your grandmother, showed you great kindness and gave you a great deal of money during her life.

You repaid her kindness by savagely killing her in the expectation of gaining money from her death under her will.
It is clear that she was awake, knew what was happening to her and scratched your face in an attempt to resist your lethal attack.”

In a victim impact statement, Powell’s mother Catherine Powell, who is Ms Finch’s daughter, said she “will struggle ever to forgive him for what he has done”.

Her brother, Peter Finch, also addressed Powell in court, describing the murder as “a truly wicked and sickening act against someone who only showed you love throughout your life”.