Murderer, 92, to be investigated over cold cases

A man jailed for life for the rape and murder of a woman 58 years ago will be considered as a suspect in several unsolved cold cases, police have confirmed.

Ryland Headley, 92, was convicted of raping and murdering Louisa Dunne in 1967 after breaking into her home in Bristol.

The joint Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team (MIT) said it would carry out "extensive inquiries" into Headley's activities since he moved to Ipswich in the early 1970s.

The former railway worker was told he would serve a minimum term of 20 years in prison at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday and would "never be released".

The judge, Mr Justice Sweeting, said the attack on Mrs Dunne was "pitiless and cruel" and that Headley, of Ipswich, Suffolk, had shown "no remorse" for his actions.

Justice Sweeting told the court Headley had been planning to rape the 75-year-old widow, who lived alone.

Then aged 34, he broke into her home and "brutally" attacked her before fatally strangling her.

For almost six decades, Headley evaded justice for the crime before cold case detectives at Avon and Somerset Police sent items for forensic analysis last year - resulting in a DNA match.

The force assessed the case's evidence archives in 2023 and found the skirt Mrs Dunne was wearing at the time of the attack.

After it was sent for forensic testing, a full DNA profile was obtained and indicated a "billion to one" match to Headley.

In 1977, Headley was sentenced to life imprisonment after his fingerprint linked him to the rape of a 79-year-old widow in Ipswich - and he admitted a second rape on an 84-year-old widow in the town.

That sentence was later reduced to seven years following an appeal, with Headley serving about two years before being released from prison.

He was still living in Clarence Road, Ipswich, when Avon and Somerset officers arrested him on suspicion of Mrs Dunne's rape and murder in November 2024.

Suffolk Police said: "Following Ryland Headley's conviction for murder occurring in Bristol in 1967, coupled with the fact he was previously convicted of stranger rape offences in Ipswich in the 1970s, there have understandably been inquiries speculating as to his potential involvement in other unsolved homicide and stranger rape cases, particularly those which have occurred within Suffolk.

"He will now be a consideration in several unsolved case reviews across Suffolk and the MIT remain open to any credible new information provided in this regard."

The force said it would be "inappropriate" to comment on specific cases, given the crimes were "subject to review and potential reinvestigation".

"We are aware that over time allegiances and perspectives change, and if anyone has any information - however small it may seem - that could assist our inquiries, please contact the joint MIT's unsolved case team," Suffolk Police said.

Louisa Dunne's case is thought to be the UK's longest-running cold case to be solved.

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