Man, 92, faces trial next year accused of rape and murder of woman 57 years ago

A 92-year-old man will face trial next year accused of the rape and murder of a woman who was found strangled to death in her home 57 years ago.

Ryland Headley is accused of killing 75-year-old Louisa Dunne.

Her body was found by a neighbour inside her home on Britannia Road in the Easton area of Bristol on June 28 1967.

A court artist's sketch of Ryland Headley
Ryland Headley, 92, first appeared before Bristol Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday accused of rape and murder (Elizabeth Cook/PA)

Headley is accused of the rape and murder of Ms Dunne on dates between June 26 and 29.

The defendant did not attend a brief hearing at Bristol Crown Court where Judge Martin Picton set a trial date of June 16.

The trial will take place before a High Court judge and is expected to last up to three weeks.

A plea and trial preparation hearing was fixed for February 14.

No application for bail was made and Headley, of Clarence Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, was remanded into custody.

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