Accounts from Suffolk women raped in 1977 helped convict Ryland Headley
Their statements, kept in the archives of Suffolk Constabulary, detail how Headley, then aged 45, broke into their homes in the middle of the night in October 1977
Last updated 30th Jun 2025
The harrowing testimonies of two elderly women raped by Ryland Headley helped to convict him of murder from beyond the grave.
Their statements, kept in the archives of Suffolk Constabulary, detail how Headley, then aged 45, broke into their homes in the middle of the night in October 1977 - threatening to kill them if they did not comply.
Headley later pleaded guilty at Ipswich Crown Court to raping the women - both widows who lived alone - and was initially sentenced to life imprisonment but this was reduced to just seven years on appeal.
During his trial at Bristol Crown Court almost 50 years later, with Headley now aged 92, prosecutors successfully argued that the jury should be told about those previous convictions.
Mr Justice Sweeting agreed, noting there were "chilling similarities" between the cases and the murder of Louisa Dunne in Bristol in 1967, and ruled that the details of the 1977 rapes should be heard.
Both women, aged 84 and 79, have since died. During their lifetimes, they had anonymity as victims of sexual offences and the judge asked the media to continue to respect their privacy for surviving family members.
Anna Vigars KC, prosecuting, read statements the two women had provided after being attacked by Headley.
The 84-year-old victim described how she had awoken in the early hours of October 1 1977 to the feeling of strong hands over her face and head.
She said: "I tried to push his hands away. I tried to bite his fingers but I didn't have my teeth in.
"I said 'Please go, haven't you got a mother, surely you wouldn't hurt an old lady of 84?'
"I said 'Don't touch me, I shall scream in a minute'. He said 'If you do, that will be worse for you'.
"I was crying. It hurt me. I said 'Please go away and leave me alone'.
Headley then told the woman to comply, adding: "If you don't, I will strangle you."
The woman recalled: "I thought to save my life and get it over quickly, I should just give in.
"I thought he would kill me. I was crying and upset. I said to him 'Now clear off'.
"He said 'Have you got any money?'. I said 'No, I am an OAP, I think you ought to give me some'.
"I heard him go downstairs and heard the front door shut with a bang."
She went downstairs and called for police, noting that curtains were blowing in the bedroom from where Headley had opened a window.
The 79-year-old woman told how she had got ready for bed, placing her false teeth in a cup in the kitchen, and secured her home - checking all windows and doors were locked shut.
She said: "The next thing I knew, I was woken up by my main bedroom light flashing on. I saw someone move on the floor. I realised it was a man. He was crawling towards the door.
"I was petrified. I shouted out 'Who are you, what are you doing there?'. I saw him jump up and switch the light off. It was so dark."
Headley then went over to the woman and told her to feel an object, telling her it was a gun.
He then told her: "If you do what I tell you, you will be all right. If you don't, I will kill you. If you scream or make a noise, I will kill you."
The woman described how she tried to fight Headley off by scratching his face and pulling at his watch before reaching for a lamp on her bedside table.
Headley then used her sheet to tie her wrists.
She told him: "Leave me alone, would you want anybody to do this to your mother or sister?"
Headley replied: "I will put you on the floor in a minute if you don't do what I say, I will put a pillow over your face and smother you."
The woman told police: "I was stiff with fear, scared to death. He said 'Kiss me, kiss me'.
"I said 'You are horrible, get off, go away'. I was getting exhausted. I kept calling out 'You are hurting me' but he wasn't bothered."
After the rape, the woman asked Headley for water as her throat had become dry. He fetched it for her in her blue beaker cup, taken from her kitchen cupboard, before leaving.
She was so frightened that she got back into her bed and waited until it was light before seeking help from a neighbour at about 7.30am.
"I said a man broke into my house during the night and raped me," she said.
Speaking after Headley's conviction for Mrs Dunne's rape and murder, Detective Inspector Dave Marchant described his crimes as "the most abhorrent, heinous attacks".
He said: "It is incredibly powerful and harrowing to hear the experiences they went through.
"I think it gives us an insight into probably what happened within 58 Britannia Road to some degree but we'll never know.
"Mr Headley has offered no evidence, no explanation for what happened, so to hear their accounts was very impactful.
"It gave a sense of how depraved and predatory Mr Headley's behaviour is. He's now three times convicted of rape.
"These were stranger rapes, breaking into elderly women's addresses overnight and subjecting them to just the most abhorrent, heinous attacks for his own pleasure."