Woman heard 'screaming' on night widow murdered

A woman was heard screaming and "crying out" on the night an elderly widow was raped and murdered nearly 60 years ago, a jury heard.

Louisa Dunne, 75, was found dead in her front room in Brittannia Road in Easton, Bristol, by neighbours on 28 June 1967.

A jury at Bristol Crown Court heard on Tuesday statements read out by the prosecution which were taken by police at the time of Mrs Dunne's death.

Ryland Headley, 92, of Clarence Road in Ipswich, denies raping and murdering Mrs Dunne.

Violet Fortune, a married woman who lived close to Mrs Dunne's house, said at the time she was "awoken suddenly by what sounded like a scream" on the night of 27 June 1967.

"It wasn't a long, piercing scream, but a crying out," she said.

"It sounded muffled. I got out of bed and went to the window. I could see up and down the road by the light of the moon but there was no-one in sight.

"I could distinguish it was the voice of a woman. It lasted for about two to three seconds."

A statement from Harold Hodson, who was 64 at the time, explained how he had gone to bed but was woken up by his dog.

"I heard a loud scream," Mr Hodson's statement explained.

"It was a frightening scream. It was obviously an adult woman. If sounded as if someone was being attacked.

"There was a sound I can only describe as moans or being muffled. There were three or four of these moans."

At the time of her death, swabs were taken from Mrs Dunne's body which tested positive for semen but scientific examinations were limited.

However in 2023 the case was re-examined and DNA testing of the swabs matched Mr Headley - in what the court heard on Monday was a billion-to-one DNA match.

The court heard Mrs Dunne, who was a mother-of-two who had been twice widowed and lived alone, was well-known in the local area.

The court also heard from a retired GP who was called to the murder scene at Mrs Dunne's home at the time.

During cross-examination, when asked if he had taken her pulse Dr Taylor said: "I don't remember specifically doing that but I'm sure I must have done".

Dr Taylor, who is regarded as one of the only living witnesses at the time, also said he and the police were not wearing any latex gloves at the time, and he didn't recall paramedics wearing any either as it was not usual practice in the 1960s.

Mrs Dunne's cause of death at the time was recorded as asphyxia due to strangulation and pressure on the mouth.

Electoral roll records revealed that Ryland Headley lived in Picton Street, Bristol, less than two miles away from Mrs Dunne's home at the time of her murder.

Mr Headley was arrested at his home in Ipswich, Suffolk, in November last year and his palm prints were taken. They allegedly matched the print found at the scene.

The jury was told on Monday Mr Headley previously admitted breaking into the homes of two widows, aged 84 and 79, and raping them in Suffolk in October 1977.

His trial, which is expected to last up to three weeks, continues.

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