In Bond's play and its subsequent adaptations by Stephen Sondheim and Tim Burton, Judge Turpin has Benjamin Barker arrested and sent to a penal colony in Australia in order to have Barker's wife, Lucy, to himself. Lucy is heartbroken by this and becomes a recluse, refusing to leave her home. Judge Turpin continuously pursues her, sending her flowers every day. He sends his henchman, Beadle Bamford, to summon her to his home, "blaming himself for her dreadful plight." He rapes Lucy, and she attempts to kill herself by drinking poison. She survives but goes insane, forced to beg in the street for a living. Turpin then takes the Barkers' infant daughter, Johanna, and raises her as his ward. He keeps her locked away from the world and spies on her through a peephole in her wall. When Johanna turns sixteen, Turpin asks for her hand in marriage. She refuses, to his bafflement. When he catches Anthony Hope looking at Johanna, he has him beaten and threatens to kill him if he ever returns.[citation needed]
On Bamford's advice, he goes for a shave at Sweeney Todd's barber shop in order to win over Johanna—unaware that Todd is in fact Benjamin Barker, returned from Australia and seeking revenge. Todd is about to cut Turpin's throat when he is interrupted by Hope, who reveals Johanna's plan to escape. Turpin promptly returns home and finds that Johanna is smitten with Hope. He sends her away to an asylum, planning to keep her there until she agrees to marry him.[citation needed]
Turpin receives a letter claiming that Johanna has repented, unaware that the letter is part of a trap laid by Todd. Following the letter's direction, he goes back to Todd's shop, where he is persuaded to let Todd shave him again. Turpin realizes Todd's true identity, and Todd slits his throat and drops him down a chute leading to Todd's accomplice Mrs. Lovett's basement, where he bleeds to death.[citation needed]