A 92-year-old man who evaded justice for 58 years will die behind bars for the rape and murder of an elderly widow.
Ryland Headley thought he would live out his days without having to answer for the killing of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne, whose Bristol home he broke into in June 1967.
Then 34, he forced open a window before attacking her, leaving the mother-of-two’s body to be found by neighbours the following day.
Swabs were taken from Mrs Dunne’s body, which tested positive for semen, but scientific examinations at that time were limited.
Police also recovered a left-hand palm print from an upstairs window at her home, which was compared to 19,000 men and boys in 1967, but none matched the suspect.
Headley was living with his wife in Picton Street – around a mile and a half from Mrs Dunne’s home in Britannia Road but crucially just outside the area in which men and boys were asked to give prints.
He uprooted his family to London a short time later, then moved to Ipswich, with his palm print never taken in Bristol.
The case remained unsolved until 2023, when police sent off a skirt and other items worn by Ms Dunne for DNA testing.
The results yielded a billion-to-one match with Headley.
His conviction closes the UK’s longest ever cold case.
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Today, Mr Justice Sweeting jailed Headly for life with a minimum term of 20 years.
He told him: ‘You will never be released, you will die in prison.’
When Headley was arrested at his home in November last year on suspicion of murdering Mrs Dunne, he told detectives: ‘I don’t know what you are talking about. Very strange, very strange.’
During previous arrests, Headley had provided his fingerprints but had not given palm prints.
On the 2012 form, it noted ‘arthritis in both wrists, palms not flexible’.
This time, Headley’s palm prints were taken and a fingerprint expert found more than 25 characteristics that matched with the 1967 print.
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The UK’s longest-running cold cases
– Murder of Louisa Dunne – 58 years
Mrs Dunne, 75, was raped and murdered in 1967 after being attacked in her home in Bristol. Ryland Headley, now aged 92, was convicted for rape and murder following a trial at Bristol Crown Court in 2025.
– Murder of Yolande Waddington – 46 years
The 17-year-old nanny was killed by David Burgess in a Berkshire village in 1966. A year later, he murdered two children. In 2012, he was given a further life sentence for Yolande’s murder.
– Roland Long rape case – 42 years
Long was jailed in 2022 for 12 years for raping a woman in the Cardiff area.
– Manslaughter and rape of Janet Commins – 41 years
In 1976, 15-year-old Janet Commins was found dead in Flint, North Wales. A man was wrongly jailed for killing her. Former soldier Stephen Hough was later caught from DNA recovered from the scene. He was jailed for manslaughter in 2017.
– David Lomax rape case – 40 years
The former police officer raped a woman in 1978 in Leeds after she was unable to pay a fine. He was convicted of rape and misconduct in public office in 2018 and jailed.
– Murders of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce – 34 years
The two young women were found dead in Tunbridge Wells in 1987 in what became known as the “Bedsit Murders”. In 2021, David Fuller was handed a whole life order for the murders and the sexual abuse of more than 100 dead women and girls in hospital mortuaries.
– Murder of Roy Tutill – 33 years
The 14-year-old was sexually assaulted and murdered in 1968 in Surrey. A cold case review led to convicted paedophile Brian Field when his DNA was linked to the crime. He was jailed for life in 2001 for murdering Roy.
– Murder and rape of Melanie Road – 32 years
The 17-year-old was found stabbed to death after a night out in Bath, Somerset in 1984. Her murder remained unsolved until a familial DNA match led to father-of-four Christopher Hampton. He was jailed for life in 2016 for rape and murder.
– Murder of Colette Aram – 27 years
The 16-year-old was raped and strangled in 1983 in Nottinghamshire. Her murder remained unsolved until a familial DNA search matched a relative of Paul Hutchinson. Hutchinson was jailed for life in 2010.
The railway worker was jailed in 1977 for raping two elderly women, Bristol crown court heard.
Harrowing testimonies from these victims, who were 79 and 84 at the time of the attacks, were retrieved from archives and read to the jury.
The women, who have both since died, told police Headley broke into their homes at night and threatened to kill them.
One statement read: ‘I said, “Would you want anybody to do this to your mother?”
He replied, “If you don’t do what I say, I’ll put a pillow over your face and smother you.”’
Headley, now 92, had denied attacking Ms Dunne and did not give evidence.
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After the trial, Det Insp Dave Marchant described his crimes as ‘heinous’.
Forces across the UK are examining evidence to see if Headley, from Ipswich, carried out other unsolved crimes.
Detective Inspector Dave Marchant said: ‘I think there’s every possibility that there are other offences out there – over the 60s, 70s, however long a time period – which Mr Headley could be culpable for.
‘We are working with colleagues across the country and other police forces and the National Crime Agency to try to understand and identify those potential further offences, and if possible, can we match them through any forensic techniques etc and if we are able, hopefully then get him before a court to face justice over those matters too.’
Timeline: The key events in the murder of Louisa Dunne
Here is a timeline of key events:
– May 16, 1892: Louisa Dunne was born. Queen Victoria was still on the throne.
– June 27, 1967: Mrs Dunne was murdered by Headley, 34, who had broken into her home overnight. She had been twice widowed and was living on her own in Britannia Road, Easton.
– June 28: Her body was discovered by neighbours that morning who had become concerned for her welfare having not seen her, as she would regularly be stood on her doorstep.
Investigators retained Mrs Dunne’s clothing and other samples from her body for further examination. They also recovered a palm print from a window, which the intruder is believed to have used to gain entry to her home. The palm print was found on the upstairs window. He gained entry from the lower floor window.
– 1971: Headley and his family relocate to St Pancras, London.
– 1972: Headley and his family then move to Ipswich, Suffolk
– Between 1973 and 1978: Headley carried out a series of 10 overnight burglaries, which included him stealing cash, cigarettes, gin and food.
– October 1, 1977: Aged 45, Headley broke into the home of an 84-year-old widow in Suffolk and raped her.
– October 27: Headley carried out an almost identical attack when he raped a 79-year-old woman after breaking into her home.
– December 12: Headley is arrested in London on suspicion of the two rapes after being identified following mass fingerprinting in Ipswich.
– May 1978: At Ipswich Crown Court Headley admits two counts of rape and also asks for the burglary offences to be taken into account. He is later jailed for life but this sentence was reduced on appeal to seven years’ imprisonment.
– Around 1980: Headley is released from prison.
– 2009: Avon and Somerset Police carried out a limited review of the murder investigation.
– 2012: Headley is arrested on suspicion for an unrelated incident. His DNA and fingerprints are taken. No further action is taken about the allegation.
– 2014: Detectives did further work on the Dunne case but did not find any substantial leads to follow up.
– 2023: Police examined the files of evidence collected in 1967, which had been stored in the major crime archives at headquarters.
– May 2024: Items from the original investigation – Mrs Dunne’s scarf and skirt, as well as other retained samples – were sent off for scientific investigation.
– September 4: Forensic scientist Andrew Parry finds sperm on Mrs Dunne’s skirt matches Headley’s DNA, with it one billion times more likely to be his than another person.
– November 19: Headley is arrested at his home in Suffolk.
Fingerprint expert Elizabeth Hobbs carries out the first analysis of the palm print from Mrs Dunne’s window and positively identifies it as belong to Headley.
– November 20: Headley appears before Bristol Magistrates’ Court accused of Mrs Dunne’s rape and murder.
A blind comparison analysis of Ms Hobbs’s findings is completed by her colleague Neville Williams. Mr Williams concludes Headley is not the owner of the palm print. He later carries out a further examination and concludes the palm print is Headley’s.
– November 21: Forensic identification manager Donna Honeybun carried out an open final verification of the palm print and concluded it belonged to Headley.
– June 16 2025: Headley goes on trial at Bristol Crown Court accused of the rape and murder of Mrs Dunne.
– June 30: He is convicted of both offences and faces life imprisonment.
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