Ryland Headley: Man, 92, 'will die in prison' for rape and murder of 75-year-old woman Louisa Dunne in 1967

Ryland Headley was 34 and living with his wife in Bristol when he broke into the home of Louisa Dunne in the Easton area and attacked her during the night. Bristol Crown Court heard that he raped Mrs Dunne before killing her by strangling her with a scarf and covering her mouth with his hand.

Despite a massive investigation by Bristol Constabulary, including taking palm prints from 19,000 men and boys at the time, Headley evaded justice for nearly six decades. It wasn’t until Avon and Somerset Police reopened the case and sent items for fresh forensic testing last year that a DNA match to Headley was found.

On Monday, Headley was convicted by a jury of rape and murder. On Tuesday, Mr Justice Sweeting handed him a life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years, effectively confirming, “You will never be released, you will die in prison.”

The judge described the attack as “a pitiless and cruel act by a depraved man,” and told Headley: “You broke into her home, you sexually assaulted her, and in doing so, you caused her death… You met her screams and struggles with force sufficient to kill.”

Mrs Dunne’s body was discovered by neighbours on the morning of June 28, 1967 in the front room of her terraced home, where she had been sleeping. A post-mortem confirmed she died from asphyxia due to strangulation and pressure to the mouth.

Although Headley lived just over a mile from the scene, his address was outside the fingerprint collection zone. He remained undetected for years, even after being jailed in 1977 for breaking into the homes of two other elderly widows. Crucially, he had not provided palm prints at that time.

When Headley was arrested in 2012 for an unrelated matter, he claimed he had arthritis in his wrists to avoid fingerprinting. However, his DNA was taken, and in 2023, it was matched to semen extracted from Mrs Dunne’s skirt.

Mr Justice Sweeting told the court: “The nature of these offences demonstrates a complete disregard for human life and dignity… You exploited (Mrs Dunne's) vulnerability. You treated her as a means to an end.”

He continued: “The violation of her home, her body, and ultimately her life, was a pitiless and cruel act by a depraved man. She must have experienced considerable pain and fear before her death.”

During the sentencing, the judge also referenced Headley’s 1977 offences as showing “a chilling pattern of behaviour” and noted his complete lack of remorse.

Mrs Dunne’s granddaughter, Mary Dainton, who attended every day of the trial, told the court how the unsolved crime haunted her family. “The anxiety caused by her mother’s brutal rape and murder clouded the rest of [my mother’s] life,” she said. “The fact the offender wasn’t caught caused my mother to become and remain very ill.”

“It saddens me deeply that all the people who knew and loved Louisa are not here to see that justice is being done,” she added.

Detective Inspector Dave Marchant praised the outcome as an example of the power of modern forensics: “This case shows what is possible when new and old policing techniques are brought together.”

Charlotte Ream of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “For 58 years, this appalling crime went unsolved and Ryland Headley, the man we now know is responsible, avoided justice. This case is a demonstration of the commitment of the CPS, and our partners in the police, to relentlessly pursue justice for the victims of crime, no matter how many years – or decades – have passed.”

Police have confirmed they are now working with the National Crime Agency and other forces to determine if Headley may be linked to other historic unsolved crimes.