92-year-old Bristol man who allegedly murdered pensioner in 1967 trapped by DNA breakthrough, court hears

The court heard he was born on September 15, 1932 and it was the first hearing. He faces two charges - the first one that between the 26th and 29th of June 1967 in Easton Bristol of murdering Louisa Dunne. The second one in the same dates he is charged with raping her.

He was wearing a dark coat and is bald. He spoke to confirm his name, address and date of birth and that he understood the proceedings.

Louisa Dunne, 75, known as Louise, was found dead in her home in Britannia Road, Easton, Bristol, by a neighbour on Wednesday 28 June, 1967. The cause of her death was determined to be strangulation and asphyxiation. She had also been raped.

Headley, from the Ipswich area of Suffolk, was arrested by officers from Avon and Somerset Police on suspicion of murder and rape following a significant development in the investigation which resulted from a review of the case, which began in 2023. The review included further forensic examination of items relating to this case.

DI Dave Marchant said: “This is an extremely significant moment in an appalling and distressing case which has remained unsolved for almost six decades. We’ve identified and spoken to Louisa Dunne’s next of kin to update them on this development and specialist family liaison officers will now be supporting them - to keep them updated on the progress of our investigation but also to ensure they get access to any specialist support they may need.

“We recognise this will also come as a shock to the community in Easton. While this tragic incident happened a long time ago, there will be people who remember what happened and may have had a connection with Louisa through family or friends.

“We are absolutely committed to continue carrying out a thorough investigation to try and bring Louisa’s relatives the answers they’ve waited a lifetime for.”

Mrs Dunne was described by those who knew her as someone who “kept herself to herself” and had been married to Teddy Parker, a city alderman, but he died just as his political career was growing.

Her second husband John Dunne, a night watchman, also died before Mrs Dunne's murder, which friends said at the time led to her neglecting herself. Her body was discovered by a neighbour who spotted a window was slightly open, which was very unusual for her.

Over the years police launched multiple high profile appeals to try and catch her killer, including rounding up the 'tramps and vagrants' in the city for questioning. A lot of focus from police was around a palm print left near the window, which saw thousands of samples taken from males in the area.

Samples were taken from men aged between 16 and 60 with a pile of 5,000 to be looked at. Despite one man being questioned by detectives at the time, no-one was ever formally arrested or charged with her murder.

DI Dave Marchant said: “This development marks a hugely significant moment in this investigation. Now criminal proceedings are underway it’s important to stress the defendant has the right to a fair trial. Any speculation or misinformation on the circumstances of this case has the potential to prejudice these ongoing proceedings.

Ahead of the hearing, new images of Louisa, known as Louise, have been released. They show Louisa in Weymouth in 1927, with a cloche hat in the 1920s, in Clevedon in 1933, another in 1919 and further image of an unknown date.