By Femi Akinyemi
A 92-year-old man, Ryland Headley was on Tuesday jailed for life over a 1967 rape and murder, in a case considered UK鈥檚 oldest solved cold case.
Headley 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.
Giving the sentence at Bristol Crown Court in southwest England, Judge Derek Sweeting told Headley: 鈥淵ou will never be released, you will die in prison.鈥
He said that Ryland Headley, who was 34 at the time of the crime, had 鈥渧iolated the sanctity and safety of Mrs Dunne鈥檚 home where she had every right to feel secure.
鈥淪he must have experienced considerable pain and fear before her death.鈥
Sweeting told the court that Headley had been planning to rape Mrs Dunne when he broke into her home and 鈥渂rutally鈥 attacked her.
Louisa Dunne was a 鈥渧ulnerable鈥 elderly woman who lived alone, the court heard.
鈥淭he nature of these offences demonstrates a complete disregard for human life and dignity.
鈥淢rs Dunne was vulnerable, she was a small elderly woman living alone. You treated her as a means to an end.
鈥淭he violation of her home, her body and ultimately her life was a pitiless and cruel act by a depraved man.
鈥淵ou may not have intended to kill, but you did rape her and you brutally attacked her,鈥 he said.
The judge mentioned Headley鈥檚 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 鈥渃hilling pattern of behaviour鈥, the judge added.
Police reopened Dunne鈥檚 case in 2023 and matched DNA from the victim鈥檚 skirt and other items from the original probe to Headley.
Doughty Street Chambers, the legal team representing Headley, said it was Britain鈥檚 oldest cold case murder 鈥 an unsolved case for which new information emerges.
Mrs Dunne鈥檚 granddaughter, Mary Dainton, took to the witness box to give a victim impact statement. She spoke about the 鈥渇ar-reaching鈥 devastation left by Headley鈥檚 actions.
She said that it fell to her to 鈥渟peak for the people who are no longer here鈥.
Dainton told the court that people 鈥渨ithdrew鈥 from her family when they found out about the circumstances of her death.
She said: 鈥淚 have struggled emotionally in ways I did not anticipate.
鈥淭here is a stigma attached to rape and murder.
鈥淚t has turned my life upside down. I feel sad and very tired, which has affected the relationships I have with those close to me.
鈥淚t saddens me deeply that all the people who knew and loved Louisa are not here to see that justice is being done.鈥
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