92-Year-Old Man Convicted For 1967 Rape, Murder In UK’s Oldest Cases

A 92-year-old British man has been convicted for the rape and murder of a woman nearly six decades ago, bringing closure to one of the UK’s longest-running cold cases.

Ryland Headley was found guilty on Monday of raping and killing 75-year-old Louisa Dunne in her Bristol home in June 1967. At the time of the crime, Headley was 34 years old.

Described by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as “one of the oldest cold cases to ever be solved in the UK”, the investigation was reopened in 2023 after advancements in forensic science led to a DNA match. Evidence preserved from the original crime scene—including DNA on the victim’s skirt—was linked to Headley, who had previously served time for raping two elderly women in 1977.

During the initial investigation, police discovered a left-hand palm print at Dunne’s home. Despite comparing the print against 19,000 men, no match was found. Headley, a railway worker at the time, lived just outside the area targeted in the fingerprint sweep. The case eventually went cold, and forensic evidence was sealed for over 50 years.

When police arrested Headley at his home in November 2023, he denied involvement, saying, “I don’t know what you are talking about. Very strange, very strange.”

“For 58 years, this appalling crime went unsolved, and Ryland Headley, the man we now know is responsible, avoided justice.” Charlotte Ream of the CPS said.

Dunne’s granddaughter, Mary Dainton, reflected on the impact of her grandmother’s death: “I was just 20 years old when my grandmother died, and I’m now almost the same age she was when she was killed.”

Headley is scheduled to be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday. Police are now reviewing other cold cases for possible links to him.

“Ryland Headley has now been convicted of three rapes of elderly women, including the murder of Louisa Dunne,” said Dave Marchant of Avon and Somerset Police.

“We believe there is every possibility that he may be connected to other unsolved offenses from the 1960s and 70s.”