Overview

• Prosecutors told Bristol Crown Court that forensic experts matched semen on a blue skirt to Ryland Headley with a likelihood ratio of one billion to one and identified his palm print on a forced-open window.
• Defence counsel Jeremy Benson KC argued that witness statements from the original 1967 investigation can no longer be tested under oath and noted missing records of Headley’s whereabouts on the night Louisa Dunne was killed.
• Headley, who denies any recollection of visiting Mrs Dunne or committing the offences, sat silently in the dock as Anna Vigars KC contrasted this case with his 1977 rape convictions.
• Police body-worn footage shown to jurors captured Headley’s November 2023 arrest at his Ipswich home, where he appeared bewildered and claimed poor health upon learning of the cold case evidence.
• The trial underscores how modern DNA breakthroughs have revived a six-decade-old investigation and brought what was once ruled ‘unknown suspect’ before the court for final judgement.