92-year-old UK man sentenced to life over 1967 murder
LONDON - A 92-year-old British man was on July 1 jailed for life for a 1967 rape and murder, in the UK's oldest solved cold case.
Ryland Headley, who was convicted of raping and killing 75-year-old Louisa Dunne after breaking into her house nearly 60 years ago, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 20 years at Bristol Crown Court in south-west England.
After passing sentence, Judge Derek Sweeting told Headley: 'You will never be released, you will die in prison.'
He said that Headley, who was 34 at the time of the crime, had '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.'
The judge mentioned Headley's previous convictions for breaking into the homes of two elderly widows in 1977 and raping them.
He was initially sentenced to life in jail for those convictions, which was later reduced to seven years on appeal.
They showed a 'chilling pattern of behaviour', the judge added.
Police reopened Ms Dunne's case in 2023 and matched DNA from the victim's skirt and other items from the original probe to Headley, who spent around two years in prison sentence for his 1977 crimes.
Doughty Street Chambers, the legal team representing Headley, said it was Britain's oldest cold case murder – an unsolved case for which new information emerges. AFP
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Two women fatally stabbed at bar in central Japan
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The two victims were the bar manager and an employee. HAMAMATSU, Shizuoka - Two women in central Japan have died after being stabbed by a man at a bar in Chuo Ward in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, early on July 6 . The Shizuoka prefectural police arrested Ichiro Yamashita, 41, at the scene on suspicion of trying to kill the bar's female manager. Yamashita said he is unemployed and from Fukuroi in the prefecture, and the police are investigating his motive and other matters. According to the police, the two victims were bar manager Tomoka Takeuchi, 27, and Ms Rin Ito, 26, an employee. An emergency call was made at about 1.55am on July 6 , stating that a man had stabbed two women with a knife. According to firefighters and others, the two women were unconscious and in a critical condition when they were taken to hospital by ambulance. Yamashita is believed to be a regular customer of the so-called girls bar, where female employees serve drinks. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore First BTO project in Sembawang North to be offered in July HDB launch Singapore Woman on SMRT bus 190 injured after bottle thrown at vehicle leaves hole in window Singapore Over half of 106 new MRT trains added to North-South, East-West lines; fleet completion by 2026 Asia 'Don't be seen in India again': Indian nationals pushed into Bangladesh at gunpoint Business High Court orders Instagram seller to pay Louis Vuitton $200,000 in damages over counterfeit goods Singapore MOH studying 18 proposals to integrate TCM into public healthcare Asia Malaysian commando dies during military diving exercise off Kuantan coast Singapore His world crashed when he got F9 in O-level Tamil but PropNex co-founder Ismail Gafoor beat the odds He allegedly stabbed Ms Takeuchi in the back and is quoted by police as saying: 'It is correct that I stabbed her.' According to the police, Yamashita entered the bar with Ms Ito and then stabbed Ms Takeuchi twice in the back. After that, he stabbed Ms Ito several times. He carried two knives with 20cm blades. He reportedly did not try to run or resist when police arrived at the scene. There were other customers and employees in the bar at the time of the incident. The prefectural police are investigating the relationship between the three, among other matters. The crime scene is in a downtown area about 500 meters west of JR Hamamatsu Station. THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Gunmen kill Mexico city councillor during basketball game
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Bullet holes riddle a house where gunmen on June 24 opened fire at a neighbourhood party in the state of Guanajuato - Mexico's deadliest state. MEXICO CITY - Gunmen burst into a sports hall in central Mexico and shot dead a local government official attending an amateur basketball game on July 5, local authorities said. Families and children had gathered at the sports centre in the violent state of Guanajuato, where Mr Ignacio Alejandro Roaro, a city council secretary in Apaseo el Grande, was killed. The city council 'strongly condemns the treacherous, despicable, and cowardly attack that occurred this Saturday, in which our colleague and friend, city council secretary Ignacio Alejandro Roaro, lost his life,' it said in a statement. Local media said an armed man had been arrested. Guanajuato is a thriving industrial hub and home to several popular tourist destinations, but it is also Mexico's deadliest state due to gang turf wars, according to official homicide statistics. In June, 11 people were shot dead and about 20 others injured in a shooting targeting a neighbourhood party in Irapuato, about 80km west of Apaseo el Grande. A month earlier, 17 bodies were found by investigators in an abandoned house in Irapuato. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore First BTO project in Sembawang North to be offered in July HDB launch Singapore Woman on SMRT bus 190 injured after bottle thrown at vehicle leaves hole in window Singapore Over half of 106 new MRT trains added to North-South, East-West lines; fleet completion by 2026 Asia 'Don't be seen in India again': Indian nationals pushed into Bangladesh at gunpoint Business High Court orders Instagram seller to pay Louis Vuitton $200,000 in damages over counterfeit goods Singapore MOH studying 18 proposals to integrate TCM into public healthcare Asia Malaysian commando dies during military diving exercise off Kuantan coast Singapore His world crashed when he got F9 in O-level Tamil but PropNex co-founder Ismail Gafoor beat the odds Much of the violence in Guanajuato is linked to conflicts between the Santa Rosa de Lima gang and the Jalisco New Generation cartel, one of the most powerful in the Latin American nation. Guanajuato recorded more than 3,000 murders last year, the most of any Mexican state and accounting for 10.5 per cent of the cases nationwide, according to official figures. AFP
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Woman on SMRT bus 190 injured after bottle thrown at vehicle leaves hole in window
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Someone, believed to be a person in the street, threw a bottle at the bus that left a hole in its window. SINGAPORE - A commuter travelling on SMRT service 190 was taken to hospital with injuries after someone, believed to be a person in the street, threw a bottle at the bus that left a hole in its window. The police were alerted to the incident in Orchard Road at about 6.50pm on July 5, and investigations are ongoing. The injured commuter, a 57-year-old woman, was conscious when she was taken to Raffles Hospital , said the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force . Mr Vincent Gay, deputy managing director at SMRT Buses , said the person threw the bottle at the double-decker bus when it was plying Orchard Road at about 6.45pm . The bus driver stopped the bus and checked on the passengers, he added. All affected passengers were transferred to another bus to continue their commute. The police were alerted to the incident in Orchard Road at about 6.50pm on July 5, and investigations are ongoing. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS 'We are cooperating with the police in their investigations,' Mr Gay added. In photos circulating online, the bus can be seen parked near The Heeren. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore First BTO project in Sembawang North to be offered in July HDB launch Business High Court orders Instagram seller to pay Louis Vuitton $200,000 in damages over counterfeit goods Singapore MOH studying 18 proposals to integrate TCM into public healthcare Singapore TTSH to demolish century-old pavilion wards, keeping one as heritage marker Asia 'Don't be seen in India again': Indian nationals pushed into Bangladesh at gunpoint Asia Malaysian commando dies during military diving exercise off Kuantan coast Singapore Overlooked 'glass child', the sibling of a special-needs kid Singapore His world crashed when he got F9 in O-level Tamil but PropNex co-founder Ismail Gafoor beat the odds Images on social media platform Xiaohongshu show a gaping hole in a window on the upper deck of the bus, with the rest of the window panel riddled with cracks. Blood stains were seen near the bus door, reported Shin Min Daily News .
