A 92-year-old man has appeared in court following a DNA breakthrough in what is believed to be Britain's longest-ever cold case arrest.
Ryland Headley is charged with raping and murdering 75-year-old Louisa Dunne after forcing entry to her Bristol home in June 1967 - nearly 58-years-ago.
Bristol Crown Court heard that forensic scientists last year examined semen found on the victim's clothing for DNA using procedures that were impossible at the time of the murder.
"The semen matched Headley's DNA with a match ratio that meant it was a billion times more likely to be Headley's DNA than that of someone else," prosecutor Anna Vigars KC told the court.
Ryland Headley is charged with raping and murdering 75-year-old Louisa Dunne
PA
Dunne's body was discovered by concerned neighbours on the morning of June 28, 1967, at her home on Britannia Road in Bristol's Easton area.
"A number of the local women were worried about Dunne because they hadn't seen her all morning and they also noticed that a sash window was open at the front of the house," Vigars said.
Neighbour Violet Allen spotted Dunne's legs through the window and climbed inside with help from other women.
"Violet Allen took hold of Dunne's hand and immediately realised that she was dead because her hand was ice-cold," the prosecutor told jurors.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Dunne's body was discovered by concerned neighbours in 1967
Avon and Somerset Police/PA
The pathologist concluded bruises on her lips suggested "a hand had been forcibly held over her mouth".
Police recovered a palm print from a window which, when compared to Headley's prints following his arrest last November, was found to match.
Headley denies both charges, claiming he has no recollection of visiting Dunne's home or having sexual intercourse with her.
The court heard that Headley was living with his wife approximately a mile and a half from Dunne when the murder occurred, leaving Bristol shortly afterwards.
Ryland Headley plead not giulity to the rape and murder of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne
Avon and Somerset Police/PA
Jurors were told he had been imprisoned for raping two elderly women whose homes he had broken into in 1977, threatening them with violence if they refused to comply.
He also asked for 10 additional overnight burglaries between 1973 and 1978 to be taken into consideration during sentencing for those crimes.
"We say that these offences demonstrate to all of us that Headley has a tendency to act in exactly the same way that we say that he did back in 1967," Vigars said.
The prosecutor argued this showed a pattern of breaking into homes at night and targeting elderly women living alone.
Most Read
