Man convicted of 1967 murder in one of U.K.'s oldest cold cases

3 days ago 8

A 92-year-old antheral connected Monday was convicted of the rape and execution of a pistillate successful southwestern England successful what is thought to beryllium the U.K.'s longest-running acold lawsuit ever to beryllium solved.

A assemblage astatine Bristol crown tribunal recovered Ryland Headley, past aged 34, blameworthy of attacking 75-year-old Louisa Dunne successful June 1967.

"Louisa Dunne died successful a horrifying onslaught carried retired successful the spot wherever she should person felt safest — her ain home," authoritative Charlotte Ream said. "For 58 years, this appalling transgression went unsolved and Ryland Headley, the antheral we present cognize is responsible, avoided justice."

Dunne was recovered dormant successful her location by a neighbour connected June 28, 1967. The nighttime of her death, neighbors reported proceeding a woman's "frightening scream," the BBC reported.

The origin of her decease was recovered to beryllium strangulation and asphyxiation. She had besides been raped.

It is "one of the oldest acold cases to ever beryllium solved successful the U.K.," said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which brings transgression prosecutions.

Investigators retained Dunne's clothing, including a bluish skirt, and different samples from her assemblage for further examination. They besides recovered a thenar people from a model which Headley is believed to person utilized to summation introduction to her home.

Despite the efforts of constabulary investigating Dunne's decease 58 years ago, nary cardinal fishy was identified, the BBC reported. Police collected astir 19,000 prints from men and boys astatine the clip with nary success.

In 2023, the lawsuit was reexamined and the skirt was sent distant for forensic investigating successful May past year. DNA recovered from the point of covering linked Headley to the execution country aft his DNA was added to the nationalist database successful 2012 for an unrelated incident.

Forensic scientists concluded that DNA from the skirt matched Headley's and the thenar people was besides his. Headley was arrested astatine his location successful Suffolk successful November.

Headley was convicted of 2 counts of rape successful the precocious 1970s, aft helium attacked women, aged 79 and 84, successful Ipswich. He pleaded blameworthy to the charges successful 1978 and was jailed for 7 years.

All but 1 of the proceedings witnesses successful the lawsuit died, according to the CPS, truthful the prosecution had to trust connected written accounts taken from witnesses astatine the clip of the murder.

Testimonies of the 2 women were work during Headley's 2025 trial.

"Hearing the voices of the victims of his 1977 offences, is conscionable incredibly almighty and harrowing," said Detective Inspector Dave Marchant, elder investigating serviceman for the case. "I deliberation it gives america an penetration into astir apt what happened wrong 58 Britannia Road (Dunne's home) to immoderate degree."

Because witnesses were not disposable to springiness grounds successful court, and truthful could not beryllium challenged connected that evidence, their statements had to beryllium treated arsenic hearsay grounds instead, the CPS noted.

Dunne's granddaughter Mary Dainton said she was stunned erstwhile she heard that Headley had been arrested. "I accepted that immoderate murders conscionable ne'er get solved and immoderate radical person to unrecorded with that emptiness and sadness," she said.

Marchant said helium is moving with the National Crime Agency to find whether Headley whitethorn beryllium liable for immoderate different unsolved offenses implicit the years. "Crimes of this magnitude should ne'er spell unpunished and we volition stay relentless successful ensuring we bash everything we tin to beforehand different unsolved execution cases successful the Avon and Somerset area," helium said.

Headley volition beryllium sentenced connected Tuesday.