Murder of Louisa Dunne

Murder of Louisa Dunne
Britannia Road, Easton (in 2017)
Location	Bristol, England
Date	28 June 1967 (1967-06-28)
Attack type	Murder by strangulation, elder abuse, home invasion
Victim	Louisa Dunne
Perpetrator	Ryland Headley
Verdict	Guilty on both counts
Convictions	Murder, rape

In late June 1967, 75-year-old Louisa Dunne (née Jarrett, b. 16 May 1892) was murdered in her home in Bristol, England. After 57 years, Ryland Headley was arrested. He was found guilty of both the rape and murder of Dunne in June 2025; at the time of his conviction, Headley was 92 years old.

Background

Louisa Dunne
Born	Louisa Jarrett (1892-05-16)16 May 1892 Barton Regis, Gloucestershire, England
Died	28 June 1967 (aged 75) Bristol, England
Cause of death	Murder by strangulation

Dunne was an elderly woman who had been widowed twice. She was married to Edwin "Teddy" Parker, a city councillor, and was expected to become the city’s Mayoress until his death; she later remarried to nightwatchman John Dunne, but was widowed again following his death and reportedly became a recluse.

Murder

Dunne was found dead at her home in 58 Britannia Road, Easton by a neighbour on 28 June 1967. Dunne was discovered on the floor of her living room. She had been strangled and raped. Her cause of death was recorded as strangulation and asphyxiation. It is thought that she was murdered at some point between 26 and 28 June 1967.

Criminal proceedings

Arrest

In 2023, the case was reviewed, including an examination of the forensic evidence. In November 2024, Ryland Headley, a 92-year-old man from Ipswich was arrested on suspicion of murder and rape, after being linked to the crime scene by DNA evidence. He was 35 years old at the time of the crime. Following formal charges announced by Avon and Somerset Police, the suspect first appeared before Bristol Magistrates' Court virtually, before the case moved to Bristol Crown Court for trial in June 2025.

Headley had previously admitted ten burglaries between 1973 and 1978, and been convicted in 1977 for the rape of two elderly women. He initially received a life sentence for the rapes, but his sentence was reduced to seven years in jail following an appeal.

Trial

Headley pleaded not guilty to both charges. The trial was expected to last three weeks.

The trial began on 16 June 2025. Prosecutors presented forensic findings, including DNA evidence recovered from Dunne’s clothing, which had been stored for decades. The jury heard that the DNA match was "a billion times more likely" to belong to Headley than anyone else. Palmprints from the crime scene also matched Headley's prints.

Witness testimony also played a role, with neighbours recalling hearing screams on the night of Dunne’s death. During the trial, the jury was presented with statements originally taken in 1967, in which witnesses described hearing a muffled scream, followed by crying out lasting several seconds. Additionally, a doctor who pronounced Dunne dead in 1967 gave evidence in court, nearly 60 years later.

Headley's defence argued that forensic methods from 1967 lacked the precision needed to confirm guilt.

On 30 June 2025, Headley was found guilty of both the rape and murder of Dunne; he is due to be sentenced on 1 July.

See also

• List of unsolved murders in the United Kingdom (before 1970)