RYLAND HEADLEY – IPSWICH
📍 Ipswich
📝 Summary
A 92-year-old man has been convicted of the murder and rape of Louisa Dunne, whose body was found at her home in Bristol 58 years ago.
Ryland Headley, of Clarence Road in Ipswich, denied the offences but was found guilty by a jury following a trial at Bristol Crown Court. The jury unanimously found him guilty of rape, and guilty of murder by a majority of 10 to two. He will be sentenced Tuesday 1 June.
Louisa, 75, also known as Louise, was found dead in her home in Britannia Road, Easton, on 28 June 1967. Cause of death: strangulation and asphyxiation. She had also been raped.
A cold case review in 2023 led to new forensic analysis. DNA from Louisa’s skirt matched Headley’s profile, which was entered into the national database in 2012. A palmprint from an upstairs window at the murder scene also matched him.
Headley had a disturbing criminal history. In the late 1970s, he was convicted of two rapes of elderly women, committed in Ipswich. He initially received life imprisonment, later reduced to seven years. He had also committed 10 burglaries.
In total, the original investigation included:
- 19,000+ men fingerprinted
- 1,300 statements
- 8,000+ house-to-house enquiries
Det Insp Dave Marchant said: “Ryland Headley has left a legacy of misery and pain through his offending and likely thought he’d got away with Louisa’s murder until officers knocked on his door last November.”
Crimes of this magnitude should never go unpunished.
⚠️ This individual should be checked via Clare’s Law for safeguarding purposes.