November 25, 2025
Riel‑Karmy Jones KC and Hugh French have concluded proceedings in the case of a 26‑year‑old man charged with the murder of his grandmother.
On 17 May 2024, police discovered that a 96‑year‑old grandmother had been strangled in her bed with a belt before the bed was set alight. Within days, her 26‑year‑old grandson, Joshua Powell, was charged with her murder.
Following a year of extensive forensic and psychiatric expert evidence, Mr Powell entered a guilty plea to murder. The plea, together with mitigation advanced by the Defence, reduced the Judge’s starting point of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 33 years to a minimum term of 26 years.
Riel has over 25 years experience in murder cases appearing in many complex trials, with experience of cold cases and defences of diminished responsibility: https://redlionchambers.co.uk/barrister/riel-karmy-jones-kc/
Hugh French specialises in serious and complex cases of violence and organised crime and sexual offences: https://redlionchambers.co.uk/barrister/hugh-french/
Riel and Hugh were instructed by Kate Watts of Wannops LLP.
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