Latest news with #LouisaDunne
Sky News
3 hours ago
- Sky News
Man, 92, on trial accused of rape and murder of Bristol woman almost 60 years ago
A 92-year-old man has gone on trial accused of the rape and murder of an elderly woman in Bristol nearly 60 years ago. Ryland Headley, from Ipswich, denies killing Louisa Dunne, who was 75 at the time, in June 1967. Avon and Somerset Police reopened the cold case in 2023 and arrested Headley following new tests on semen found on the skirt Ms Dunne was wearing at the time. Opening the case, Prosecutor Anna Vigars KC told the jury at Bristol Crown Court that those test results showed a DNA match that was "a billion times more likely" to be Mr Headley's than anyone else. Her clothes had been kept in police storage for decades. The prosecution said that Ms Dunne was found by neighbours inside her home in the Easton area of the city after returning from a friend's house. They described how she was discovered lying on her back on a pile of old clothes, with blood coming from her and vomit in her mouth. "She was fully dressed, but her knickers were around her ankles, and a nylon type stocking was lying across her neck," added Mrs Vigars. At the time, police found her house had been broken into and a sash window had been forced open, with a palm print discovered. The investigation in 1967 took thousands of palm prints from local males, but no match was found. A post-mortem examination at the time found she had "extensive abrasions" on her face and that the most likely explanation was that a hand had been pressed against her mouth. An intimate swab tested positive for semen, but DNA testing was not available at the time. The jury heard that Headley, who appeared in the dock wearing a red jumper, had already pleaded guilty of raping two other elderly women, just weeks apart in 1977. One victim, an 84-year-old woman, said she would scream, and he replied to her: "If you do that, that will be worse for you." Mrs Vigars outlined to the court that Headley told the other victim, a 79-year-old, he had a gun, saying: "If you do what I tell you, you will be all right, if not, I will kill you. Do not scream or make a noise or I will kill you." The prosecution said the offences demonstrated that Headley had "a tendency" to act in the same way that he allegedly did in 1967. "In other words, to break into people's homes at night and, in some cases, to target an elderly woman living alone, to have sex with her despite her attempts to fend him off, and to threaten violence," the prosecution added. Headley denies raping and murdering Ms Dunne.
Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Telegraph
Man, 92, on trial for 1967 murder after ‘Britain's longest cold-case arrest'
A 92-year-old man was arrested for a 1967 murder after a DNA breakthrough, a court has heard. Ryland Headley is accused of raping and murdering Louisa Dunne, 75, after forcing entry to her home in Bristol in June that year. Nearly 58 years later, Headley is on trial at Bristol Crown Court following what is believed to be Britain's longest-ever cold case arrest. Last year, forensic scientists examined semen found on the victim's skirt and pubic hair for DNA in a procedure that was impossible at the time of the murder, the court heard. 'The semen matched Headley's DNA with a match ratio that meant it was a billion times more likely to be Headley's DNA than that of someone else,' Anna Vigars KC, prosecuting, told the court. Jurors were told that Mrs Dunne's body was found by neighbours inside her home on Britannia Road, in the Easton area of the city, on the morning of June 28 1967. Mrs Vigars said: 'A number of the local women were worried about Mrs Dunne because they hadn't seen her all morning and they also noticed that a sash window was open at the front of the house. The fact that she wasn't out on the doorstep was unusual for her. 'So two of the local women, Violet Allen and Hilda Stedman, looked through the window and called for her through the letterbox but got no response. 'When she looked through the window, Violet Allen could see Mrs Dunne's legs by the side of the table so, with the help of two other women, she climbed in through the window and went over to her. Violet Allen took hold of Mrs Dunne's hand and immediately realised that she was dead because her hand was ice-cold.' Mrs Dunne was found lying on a pile of old clothes, and police found no evidence of any violent struggle in the house. The pathologist at the time concluded that bruises on her lips suggested 'a hand had been forcibly held over her mouth', the court heard. Swabs taken from Mrs Dunne's body tested positive for semen, but scientific examinations at that time were limited. Mrs Vigars said police also recovered a palm print from a window at Mrs Dunne's home. It was compared to those of thousands of men and boys, but no match was found. The court heard that Headley was living with his wife around a mile and a half from Mrs Dunne at the time of the murder, and left Bristol shortly afterwards. After some work in 2009 and 2014, the case was re-examined in 2023 and DNA testing of the swabs the following year matched Headley. He was arrested in November last year and, for the first time, his palm print was compared to that of the 1967 suspect. 'When his palm prints were compared with the prints from the window in Britannia Road, the fingerprint experts employed by the police came to the conclusion that the palm print on the window was caused by Mr Headley's hand,' said Mrs Vigars. 'In response to all of this, we understand that Mr Headley's position is simply that he has no recollection of ever having had visited Mrs Dunne's home, or of having sexual intercourse with Mrs Dunne, that he certainly did not rape her, and that he did not kill her.' The jury was told Headley had been jailed for the rapes of two elderly women whose homes he had broken into in 1977, threatening them with violence if they did not comply. He also asked for a further 10 offences of overnight burglaries between 1973 and 1978 of homes where his fingerprints had also been found to be taken into account when he was sentenced for those crimes. 'We say that these offences demonstrate to all of us that Mr Headley has a tendency to act in exactly the same way that we say that he did back in 1967 – in other words, to break into people's homes at night and, in some cases, to target an elderly woman living alone, to have sex with her despite her attempts to fend him off, and to threaten violence,' said Mrs Vigars. 'Behaviour that he had already used, we suggest, back in 1967 on Mrs Dunne – the difference being that in that case his violence killed her.' Headley, of Clarence Road in Ipswich, Suffolk, is accused of the rape and murder of Ms Dunne on dates between June 26 and 29 1967. He denies both charges.
The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
Man, 92, was charged after police found DNA match almost 60 years on, jury told
A 92-year-old man was charged with raping and murdering an elderly widow after police found a billion-to-one DNA match on her clothing almost 60 years later, a jury has heard. Ryland Headley is accused of forcing entry into the home of Louisa Dunne, 75, in the Easton area of Bristol in June 1967 before sexually attacking and fatally strangling her. Police launched an investigation after the mother of two's body was discovered by neighbours on the morning of June 28 that year, with officers identifying a palm print on a rear window of her house. They took the palm prints of thousands of local boys and men but none matched the one suspected to have been left by the killer. Forensic DNA analysis had not yet been invented. Eventually, police gathered up the material from their investigation – including clothing worn by Mrs Dunne when her body was found – and sealed it away for further work in the future. Anna Vigars KC, prosecuting, told a jury of eight men and four women at Bristol Crown Court that police had 'never given up on solving the case' and it was re-examined over the years, including in 2009 and 2014. In 2023, officers from Avon and Somerset Police opened the evidence boxes and sent off five items for forensic analysis for the first time. Forensic investigator Andrew Parry examined the items and found a high density of semen on Mrs Dunne's blue skirt, the court heard. 'By 2024, scientists were able to do what was impossible nearly 60 years earlier and examine the semen for DNA,' Mrs Vigars said. 'Mr Parry discovered that the semen matched Mr Headley's DNA with a match ratio that meant it was a billion times more likely to be Mr Headley's DNA than that of someone else.' Electoral roll records revealed how Headley and his wife Maggie had lived in Picton Street, Bristol, about 1.5 miles away from Mrs Dunne's home at the time of her murder. Despite being close to the scene, Picton Street was outside of the ring of properties where men had been asked to provide a palm print in 1967. Headley was arrested at his home in Ipswich, Suffolk, in November last year and his palm prints were taken. 'When his palm prints were compared with the prints from the window in Britannia Road, the fingerprint experts employed by the police came to the conclusion that the palm print on the window was caused by Mr Headley's hand,' Mrs Vigars added. 'In response to all of this, we understand that Mr Headley's position is simply that he has no recollection of ever having had visited Mrs Dunne's home, or of having sexual intercourse with Mrs Dunne, that he certainly did not rape her, and that he did not kill her.' Mrs Vigars told jurors that Headley had moved to Suffolk after Mrs Dunne's murder. In October 1977, he broke into the homes of 84-year-old and 79-year-old widows and raped them – offences he later pleaded guilty to at Ipswich Crown Court. Headley asked for a further 10 offences of burglary, dating between 1973 and 1978, to be taken into account by the court, jurors heard. Mrs Vigars said: 'We say that these offences demonstrate to all of us that Mr Headley has a tendency to act in exactly the same way that we say that he did back in 1967, in other words, to break into people's homes at night and, in some cases, to target an elderly woman living alone, to have sex with her despite her attempts to fend him off, and to threaten violence. 'Behaviour that he had already used, we suggest, back in 1967 on Mrs Dunne, the difference being that in that case his violence killed her. 'Back then, of course, he cut rather a different figure from the one that he cuts today. 'The advantage of strength was all with him and these women, shocked to discover a stranger in their own homes, stood no chance to do anything other than plead unsuccessfully for him to stop.' A post-mortem examination concluded that Mrs Dunne died overnight between June 27 and 28, with a pathologist finding that a hand had probably been forcibly held over her mouth. She had abrasions to her face and a straight bruise across the back of her neck, believed to be from a scarf which had been 'violently tightened from the front', Mrs Vigars said. Headley, of Clarence Road, Ipswich, has pleaded not guilty to the rape and murder of Mrs Dunne between June 26 and 29 1967. His trial, expected to last up to three weeks, continues.
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- The Guardian
Man, 92, who allegedly raped and murdered woman in 1967 caught after DNA advances, court told
Detectives caught a 92-year-old man who it is alleged murdered and raped a woman in her home almost six decades ago after advances in DNA techniques led them to the suspect, a jury has been told. An extensive police operation was launched in Bristol in the summer of 1967 after the death of mother of two Louisa Dunne, 75, but her killer could not be found, a jury at the city's crown court heard. Evidence relating to the case was stored and last year a DNA match was allegedly made between material at the murder scene and a man named Ryland Headley, the court was told. Headley, from Ipswich, Suffolk, denies murder and rape. In the prosecution's opening, Anna Vigars KC said police had never given up finding the killer. She said: 'What we are talking about is the murder of an elderly and vulnerable lady in her own home. She was in no state to defend herself. Whether it happened 58 years ago or 58 days ago, the murder of any person is a matter of concern to the rest of us. The fact that time has passed doesn't make the killing of any one of us any less significant.' The jury heard that soon after the murder, Headley moved to Suffolk, where in 1977 he raped two women, threatening to strangle or smother them if they did not follow his orders. Vigars said Dunne was born in May 1892, when Queen Victoria was on the UK throne and by 1967 was living alone in Britannia Road, Easton, Bristol. She had been married two times, to a city alderman and nightwatchman, but both had died. Neighbours knew her as 'a local fixture', always out on her doorstep, watching the world go by. On 28 June 1967, a number of local women became worried about Dunne after noticing that one of her windows was open. A neighbour, Violet Allen, climbed in and found her dead. An autopsy was performed. Dunne was 5ft 3in tall and weighed less than seven stone. She was wearing three cardigans and a blue skirt. She had abrasions to her face and bruises to the back of the head and her right thigh. The pathologist concluded a hand had been forcibly held over her mouth and a bruise across the back of her neck had been caused by a scarf found under her body having been violently tightened. A vaginal swab taken from her tested positive for semen. Police found a palm print on a window at the back of the house and over the following weeks took thousands of prints from men and boys but could not find a match. Vigars told the jury that though semen had been found, DNA examination was 'not a technique in the armoury' of the police at that time. The material gathered in the investigation was boxed and preserved, latterly at the major crime archives at Avon and Somerset police headquarters. The case was looked at from time to time and in 2024 items including the blue skirt Dunne had been wearing were sent off for forensic examination. Vigars said: 'Although the items had been in police possession for almost 60 years, they had never before been examined scientifically like this.' The jury was told forensic scientist Andrew Parry discovered that Dunne's skirt contained 'a large quantity of semen'. Vigars said: 'By 2024, scientists were able to do what was impossible nearly 60 years earlier and examine that semen for DNA. Mr Parry discovered that the semen matched Mr Headley's DNA with a match ratio that meant it was a billion times more likely to be Mr Headley's DNA than anybody else's.' Police found voters' records from the late 1960s showing that Headley and his wife lived in Picton Street, Bristol, about a mile and a half from Dunne's home. Vigars said: 'Picton Street fell outside the ring of homes where men had been asked to provide a palm print.' The jury heard that in 1977 Headley raped two women, one aged 84, one 79, in Suffolk, where he moved soon after Dunne's death, after breaking into their homes. He threatened to strangle the 84-year-old if she did not do what he ordered, the court heard. Headley said to the 79-year-old that he had a gun and warned her: 'I'll put a pillow over your face and smother you' if she did not follow his instructions. He admitted both rapes and asked for a further 10 offences of overnight burglaries of homes where his fingerprints had been found between 1973 and 1978 to be taken into consideration. After his arrest for Dunne's murder and rape, his palm print was taken – and experts said it matched the one taken at her home in 1967. The trial continues.
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Convicted rapist, 92, was identified as 'killer' of elderly widow fifty years after her death when 'his DNA was found on her skirt'
A convicted rapist was identified as the killer of an elderly widow 58 years after her death after his DNA was found on her skirt, a court heard. Ryland Headley, now 92, went on trial today accused of raping and murdering Louisa Dunne, 75, on the night of 27 June 1967. Mrs Dunne was found dead on a pile of clothes in her house in the Easton area of Bristol. She suffered multiple bruising and a major haemorrhage, consistent with having her mouth forcibly covered to stop her breathing. Headley, who previously lived in Bristol before moving to Ipswich, Suffolk, was identified after a cold case review last year matched his DNA with semen on Mrs Dunne's skirt and pubic hair - while his palm was also a match for a print left on a window. He denies to the rape and murder of Mrs Dunne. On the first day of his trial at Bristol Crown Court on Monday, jurors were told Headley, who would have been 34 at the time of the attack, has two previous convictions for rape of elderly women back in the late 1970s. The court heard Mrs Dunne, who was twice-widowed and had two children, was a 'local fixture' who was always 'standing on her doorstep, watching the world go by, always wearing her headscarf.' Neighbours found her body when she failed to appear on her doorstep and they noticed a sash window was open. At the time police tried to match thousands of potential suspects to a palm print left on a window. Prosecutors say the case went cold for decades until a DNA breakthrough. Opening the case for the prosecution Anna Vigars KC told the jury: 'We are talking about the murder of an elderly and vulnerable lady in her own home. 'She was in no state to defend herself. Whether it happened 58 years ago or 58 days ago, the murder of any person, is, of course, a matter of concern to any of the rest of us. 'The fact that time has passed does not make the killing of anyone of us any less significant. 'The police have never given up on solving the case of Mrs Dunne's murder.' The court heard Mrs Dunne was last seen by a friend at around 7.30pm on 27 June 1967. The following morning, two local women, Violet Allen and Hilda Stedman, found her 'lying on her back on a pile of old clothes' with blood coming from her left ear and vomit from her mouth. Ms Vigars said: 'She was fully dressed but her knickers were around her ankles, and a nylon type stocking was lying across her neck.' A post mortem examination later found she had suffered multiple bruising and an 'extensive haemorrhage to the whites of both eyes.' Investigators concluded the abrasions, bruising and tearing of Mrs Dunne's lips indicated that something firm had been pressed against her mouth and 'the most likely explanation is that a hand had been forcibly held over her mouth.' The prosecutor said from 'time to time' the case was re-examined based on new technologies but nothing came from reviews in 2009 and 2014 and material relating to the case, including items of Mrs Dunne's clothes, was stored away until last year when they were sent off for forensic examination 'Although all the items had been in police possession for almost sixty years, they'd never been scientifically examined like this,' the prosecutor said. The prosecution said by 2024, scientists were able to do 'what was impossible nearly sixty years earlier' and examine the semen for DNA. Forensic scientist Andrew Parry discovered that the semen matched Mr Headley's DNA with a 'match ratio that meant it was a billion times more likely to be Mr Headley's DNA than anybody else's,' the jury heard. Voter records showed Headley and his wife had been living in Picton Street in Montpelier in Bristol during the late 1960s - around a mile and a half from Mrs Dunne's home. Jurors were told that although it was nearby, Picton Street fell outside that ring of homes where men had been asked to provide a palm print for elimination comparison purposes in 1967 and Headley's palm print wasn't obtained by the police until he was arrested in November last year. By this time he was living in Suffolk, having left Bristol shortly after Mrs Dunne's killing. The prosecution said three different finger print experts had eventually come to the conclusion the 'palm print on the window was caused by Mr Headley's hand.' Ms Vigars added: 'We understand that Mr Headley's position is simply that he has no recollection of ever having visited Mrs Dunne's home, or of having sexual intercourse with Mrs Dunne, that he certainly did not rape her, and that he didn't kill her.' The jury was also told on 1st October 1977, just over ten years after Mrs Dunne was killed, Headley broke into a different widow's home at night. This time the victim was an 84 year old woman and the defendant got in through a rear ground floor window Later that same month, he also raped another woman, 79, after again breaking into her home through a window. He pleaded guilty to those two rapes and he also asked that the court should take into account a further ten offences of overnight burglaries of homes where his fingerprints had also been found. Those offences had taken place between 1973 and 1978. The jury heard details of these offences as part of the prosecution opening. The trial, expected to last three weeks, continues.
