Court Man, 92, 'believed he'd never have to answer for rape and murder'

A 92-YEAR-OLD man believed he would never have to answer for raping and murdering a widow in her home almost 58 years ago, prosecutors have alleged.

- Claire HAYHURST

Louisa Dunne, 75, who had been twice widowed and lived alone, was found dead in her front room in Britannia Road, Easton, by neighbours on the morning of June 28 1967.

Police launched an investigation, including taking palm prints from 19,000 boys and men to compare against one found on an upstairs window at Mrs Dunne's two-bedroom terraced home.

They boxed up evidence taken from the scene, as well from Mrs Dunne's body at the city mortuary, but were unable to identify a suspect.

Last year, the blue skirt worn by Mrs Dunne when she died was forensically examined and a DNA match was allegedly made to a man called Ryland Headley, now 92.

Headley, of Ipswich, Suffolk, is on trial at Bristol Crown Court where he denies charges of rape and murder. He has declined to give evidence.

Yesterday, Anna Vigars KC, for the prosecution, and Jeremy Benson KC, for the defence, gave their closing speeches to the jury.

Mrs Vigars said that despite detectives trying to solve the case in the 1960s, it was left with Mrs Dunne's death certificate reading "murdered by person or persons unknown".

She said police were able to establish that Mrs Dunne had been fatally strangled by a scarf, with a hand forcibly held over her mouth, that she had been raped, and a window had been forced open at her home.