Man, 92, jailed for 1967 rape and murder of Louisa Dunne in Bristol | Crime
A 92 -year -old man was imprisoned at least 20 years later after the rape and murder of a woman in Bristol 58 years ago.
Prisoner Judge Mr Justice Sweeting told Ryland Headley that he would spend the rest of his life in prison to kill Louisa Dunne at home in 1967.
It is thought to be the oldest cold case solved in the history of modern British policing, and it is believed that Headley is the oldest person convicted of murder in England.
After killing Dunne, who lived alone in the Easton region of Bristol, Headley left with his family from Southwest England and may have spent some time in London before moving to Ipswich in Suffolk.
In 1977, he raped two women in their home in Ipswich. He was convicted and was initially imprisoned for life, but he said that the appeal doctors had emerged from the court because of the sexual frustration of his marriage with a “ambitious and challenging” wife. The sentence was reduced and only two years in prison.
Sweeting told Headley: “You will never be released – you will die in prison.” He said that Dunne was a two -person mother and a widow living alone in her own home. He said that he was born in 1892 and was involved in the labor movement, but when he died, he lived a “simple life ıyla with his valuable items, books and deeds to his home.
The judge said headley was a ruthless, immoral, ruthless man who met Dunne’s screams. He said that he had experienced significant pain and fear and that he showed “completely ignored” for his life and dignity.
Sweeting said that Headley avoided detection and did not show regret or embarrassment, but the police’s “diligent” work led to the capture of the royal prosecutor’s office and judicial scientists.
The judge said that rape and killing had the effect of “inter -generations”, which is a “strong aggravating factor”.
When deciding on the punishment, the judge had to take into account the period of Headley if he had been caught in 1967.
Anna Vigars KC, prosecution, said that society is now “rooted”. The death penalty, in the late 60s, still some serious crimes and a lawsuit trial rather than the Minister of the Interior, said that the minimum conditions for sentences, he said.
However, headley said that the starting point for a minimum period for the type of murder with a sexual element in which he was guilty is about 20 years rather than 30.
Vigars asked the judge to keep in mind the fear of Dunne. For Headley, Jeremy Benson KC asked only his client to be 93 years old in September, and since the judge was released from prison for two rapes in Ipswich in 1980, he asked him to take into account his behavior.
In 2023, the cold case detectives in the Avon and Somperset police reviewed Dunne’s unresolved murder and sent her skirt and hair samples for analysis.
A complete DNA profile was obtained and a match was found with Headley. His DNA was in the national database because he was arrested in an indifferent issue in 2012, but was not accused.
Dunne’s grandson Mary Dainton spoke about how the family gave up the hopes of the murderer and resigned to live with the “emptiness and sadness ğı in which the crime left them.
He said: “When people learned about the murder, including friends, they withdrew – there is a stigmatizing of rape and murder.
“Since Ryland Headley was accused of, I’ve been struggling emotionally in the way I haven’t guessed, and it is up to me to talk for people who are no longer here. It makes me deeply upset that all people who know and love Louisa are not here to see justice.”
In the witness box, Dinton said that the crime had a “comprehensive effect on the family and that they had“ blurry ”lives. “I feel that talking to me for people who are not here anymore. I don’t think my mother survived it.” Headley said his life was turned upside down.
The National Crime Agency is working with Avon and Somperset police to determine if Headley has committed other crimes.
