A KILLER has been found guilty of raping and murdering a pensioner after he was snared by DNA on a blue skirt 58 years later.
Ryland Headley broke into the Bristol home of Louisa Dunne, 75, in June 1967 before attacking her.
PALouisa Dunne was discovered raped and murdered at home in 1967[/caption]
PARyland Headley has now been convicted almost 60 years later[/caption]
PAHe was finally caught thanks to DNA found on a blue skirt[/caption]
She was discovered by neighbours on a pile of clothes with multiple bruising.
Headley, now aged 92, has been convicted of rape and murder – 58 years after the horror in what is believed to be the UK’s longest-running cold case ever to be solved.
Police across the country are now investigating whether the killer – the oldest in the UK to be convicted of murder – could be behind any other unsolved crimes.
Bristol Crown Court heard police at the time had attempted to match thousands of potential suspects with a palm print left on Louisa’s window.
But the case went cold for decades until Headley was finally snared when DNA was found to be a match with his semen was found on Louisa’s blue skirt.
But while the depraved fiend was evading justice, he was free to rape two other elderly women.
In 1977, Headley broke into an 84-year-old’s home and attacked her.
Later that month, he raped a 79-year-old woman after also gaining entry to her home.
Twice-widowed Louisa was last seen by a friend on June 27, 1967, before heading home at around 7.30pm.
The court heard a number of local women became concerned when they realised they had not seen Louisa all morning.
Violet Allen and Hilda Stedman then went over and found the front door shut and the sash window near the front door open as far as possible.
Prosecutor Anna Vigars KC said: “They looked through the window and called for her through the letter box 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.”
SWNSHeadley moaned he was ‘sick’ when he was arrested[/caption]
SWNSThe killing is the longest-running cold case to be solved[/caption]
A post mortem found Louisa had cuts and bruising on her mouth which indicated “something firm” had been pressed against her lips.
Swabs were taken from Louisa’s body, which tested positive for semen, but scientific examinations at that time were limited.
Jurors were told in 2003, the case was re-examined and police found the swabs matched Headley’s DNA in a “billion to one” breakthrough.
At the time of Louisa’s death, he had been living around a mile-and-a-half from the OAP’s home but fell outside the circle of houses were men were asked to provide handprint for the investigation.
The prosecution said three different finger print experts had since eventually come to the conclusion the “palm print on the window was caused by Mr Headley’s hand.”
Headley was finally snared at his home nearly 60 years later in Ipswich, Suffolk.
He could be heard moaning “I’m sick” as police swooped and asked the officers: “Who are you?”
‘I never thought we’d catch him’ – Louisa’s grandchild, 78, speaks out
After the verdict, Louisa’s sole surviving grandchild Mary Dainton, now 78, said the emotion was one of ‘relief’ and said the family never thought they would see justice.
She said: “I never thought it would be solved. I thought he would never be caught. I never believed they would be able to, trace him.
“I had absolutely given up hope. To get the information that a suspect had been found 60 years on was quite a shock.
“I wandered around like I was feeling living in a dream.
“I accepted that some murders just never get solved and some people just have to live with that emptiness and that sadness.”
Headley also demanded “what is this about?” before he was arrested.
The killer, who denied rape and murder, will be sentenced on a later date.
Detective Inspector Dave Marchant, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: “We’re unwavering in our determination to bring offenders to justice.
“For me, there is no cold case which is too old, too cold for us to complete a further review and investigation on.
“If there are lines of inquiry and evidence, we will pursue them relentlessly. We will do everything in our power to identify offenders to bring them to justice.
“My message to them is watch your back, we’re coming after you.”
PALouisa was found dead by her neighbours[/caption]
BristolLive/BPMA window at her home had been broken and Louisa was lying dead on a pile of clothes[/caption]
PALouisa had been suffocated to death[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
