Man jailed for life for 1967 rape and murder of Louisa Dunne
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A 92-year-old man convicted of the murder and rape of Louisa Dunne in 1967 has been given a life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years.
Ryland Headley, of Clarence Road in Ipswich, had denied the offences but was found guilty by a jury following a trial at Bristol Crown Court.
Louisa, 75, also known as Louise, was found dead in her home in Britannia Road, Easton, by a neighbour on Wednesday 28 June 1967. The cause of her death was determined to be strangulation and asphyxiation. She had also been raped.
The case was solved following a re-review of the case by our Major Crime Review Team (MCRT), which started in 2023 and led to a blue skirt Louisa was wearing at the time she was attacked being sent off for forensic testing. It resulted in a full DNA profile being obtained which was a billion times more likely to be from Ryland Headley, than anyone else.
Headley was previously convicted of two counts of rape in the late 1970s, after he attacked elderly women in Ipswich by breaking into their homes overnight and threatening them with violence, before carrying out the rape offence. Both offences happened in October 1977. One of the victims was in her late seventies, and the other in her mid-eighties.
At the sentencing hearing at Bristol Crown Court today (Tuesday 1 July), the Honourable Mr Justice Sweeting said Headley had shown a “complete disregard for human life and dignity”, exploiting Mrs Dunne’s vulnerability and subjecting her to a “pitiless and cruel act”.
The judge went onto praise the “hard work and professionalism” of the police and forensic experts, who linked Headley to the crime decades later.
He told Headley the sentence handed down would mean he never be released, and would die in prison.
Senior Investigating Officer Det Insp Dave Marchant said: “Ryland Headley is finally facing justice for the horrific crimes he committed against Louisa in 1967.
“The impact of this crime has cast a long shadow over the city and in particular Louisa’s family, who have had to deal with the sadness and trauma ever since. Louisa’s granddaughter Mary has shown remarkable resilience and courage throughout the investigation and trial, and our thoughts remain very much with her.
“This has been a unique investigation which has involved teams from across Avon and Somerset Police and South West Forensics, as well as our policing colleagues in Suffolk, the National Crime Agency and the Crown Prosecution Service.
“I’m proud of the professionalism, care and dedication shown by all those involved in this successful outcome, and it showcases what’s possible when new and old policing techniques are brought together.”
More details about the original 1960s investigation and how the case was finally solved can be found in a news article released yesterday, following the guilty verdicts.
You can read a statement from Louisa’s granddaughter Mary Dainton here.