UK Court Sentences 92-Year-Old Man To Life Imprisonment Over 1967 Murder

A 92-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for the rape and murder of a 75-year-old woman nearly six decades ago, in what is believed to be the oldest cold case ever solved in the UK.

Ryland Headley was convicted of raping and killing Louisa Dunne in 1967 after breaking into her home. On Tuesday, a judge at Bristol Crown Court ordered that Headley serve a minimum of 20 years, effectively guaranteeing he will die in prison.

“You will never be released,” said Judge Derek Sweeting. “You will die in prison.”

At the time of the crime, Headley was 34. The judge described his actions as a brutal invasion of a woman’s private space.

“You violated the sanctity and safety of Mrs. Dunne’s home, where she had every right to feel secure. She must have experienced considerable pain and fear before her death,” he said.

Judge Sweeting also referenced Headley’s violent history, including two 1977 convictions for breaking into the homes of elderly widows and raping them. He was initially sentenced to life in those cases, though that sentence was later reduced to seven years on appeal.

“These offenses show a chilling pattern of behavior,” the judge added.

The cold case was reopened in 2023 after police re-examined evidence from the original investigation. Forensic testing linked DNA found on Dunne’s skirt and other preserved items to Headley. A palm print found at the scene, initially matched against 19,000 men without success, was later confirmed to be Headley’s.

At the time of the original investigation, Headley worked for the railway and lived just outside the area where local men were asked to provide prints, allowing him to escape detection.

He was arrested at his home last November. “I don’t know what you are talking about. Very strange, very strange,” he reportedly told detectives.

The Crown Prosecution Service hailed the breakthrough. “For 58 years, this appalling crime went unsolved, and Ryland Headley—the man we now know is responsible—avoided justice,” said prosecutor Charlotte Ream.

Louisa Dunne’s granddaughter, Mary Dainton, told the court the murder had a devastating and long-lasting impact on their family.

“I feel it falls to me to speak for the people who are no longer here,” she said. “I was just 20 years old when my grandmother died. I’m now almost the same age she was when she was killed.”

Police say they are now investigating whether Headley could be linked to additional unsolved crimes.

“Ryland Headley has now been convicted of three rapes of elderly women in their homes, and in one case, murder,” said Dave Marchant of Avon and Somerset Police.

“I think there’s every possibility that there are other offenses out there—from the 1960s and 1970s—that he could be responsible for.”

—AFP