Bio

James Joseph Power was born in 1891. He grew up in Birmingham, England. He became a policeman, but later he left the force. During his time as a police officer, he developed a reputation for misrepresenting himself as still being active in law enforcement after he had already quit.

By the summer of 1927, he was in his mid-thirties. On July 2, 1927, he was involved in an incident that would change the course of his life forever. This incident took place in Birmingham, near a canal.

At the time, he was living on Heath Green Road. He was known to approach people by pretending to be a police officer. As a former policeman, Power may have had some knowledge of law enforcement tactics, which he used to his advantage.

Murder Story

On the night of July 2, 1927, a young woman named Olive Turner and her boyfriend, Charles Bromhead, were walking along a canal in Birmingham. As they strolled, they were approached by James Joseph Power, who pretended to be a police officer. He claimed that he was arresting them for trespass and asked for their identification. When they could not provide proof, he insisted on taking them into custody.

As they walked, Charles began to suspect that Power was not a real police officer. He noticed that other couples were also on the towpath and asked Power why they were not being arrested as well. Power then suggested they could pay him off to be let go. Charles offered fourpence, but Power rejected the amount, stating, “Fourpence is no good to me.”

Feeling more uneasy, Charles told Olive to run away while he distracted Power. As she fled, Power chased after her and attacked Charles, knocking him down. When Charles recovered, he saw Power with Olive, dragging her away. That was the last time Olive was seen alive.

The next morning, Olive's body was found in the canal. Witnesses reported hearing a struggle and then a splash. Her watch, found with her body, had stopped, indicating the time of her death as 11:41 PM. The police quickly searched for suspects. Several witnesses identified Power as the man they had seen that night near the canal.

Power was arrested and brought in for questioning. He was recognized by multiple witnesses, including Charles, who had warned Olive to run. Despite Power claiming he was innocent and had not been there, the evidence against him was strong. He was convicted of murder, and on December 9, 1927, he was sentenced to death by hanging.

He appealed his conviction, attempting to discredit the witness statements, but the appeal was unsuccessful. His defense argued that there was no proof of his responsibility for Olive's death and that she might have fallen into the canal accidentally. However, medical evidence showed there was no water in her lungs, indicating she was unconscious when she entered the water.

Power's appeal was dismissed, and he was executed at Birmingham on January 31, 1928.