Pensioner, 92, arrested on suspicion of murder and rape in 1967 case

A 92-year-old pensioner has been arrested on suspicion of murder and rape for the killing of Louisa Dunne in 1967.

The man, from the Ipswich area of Suffolk, has been taken into custody following forensic examination of items relating to the case.

Ms Dunne, 75, was found dead in her home in Britannia Road, Easton, by a neighbour nearly 60 years ago. A review into the death began last year.

She had been raped and strangled to death in her front room.

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.

'An arrest was made earlier today by officers from Avon and Somerset Police and there will be operational police activity in the Ipswich area as a result. 

Read More

How cold cases could be solved with AI that does 81 years' human work in just 30 hours

'We'd like to thank our colleagues in Suffolk Police for their ongoing help and support.

'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. 

'The Neighbourhood Policing Team are carrying out patrols of the area, so please speak to an officer if you have any worries or concerns.

'As this investigation is at a critical phase and to protect the integrity of any future criminal proceedings, we won't be able to confirm the full details, but 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.'

Ms Dunne was said to have kept to herself and lived alone at her Bristol home.

In her earlier life, she had been among Bristol's social class, as she was married to city alderman Teddy Parker. He was on course to become the city's mayor before his death.

Neighbours said she had gone into a state of decline after the death of her second husband, a night watchman, just years before her murder.

She was only found dead in her front room after a local spotted her window was open. 

They found her dressed in a black velvet coat and shawl with strangulation marks around her throat.

Police believed the killer had broken into her home between 11.30pm and 4am, and found a handprint near the open window.

There was no sign of a struggle in her home. 

The night before her horrific death, Ms Dunne had spent the evening with one of her closest friends, 79-year-old Alice Clarke.

'Sometimes she would stay only a few minutes but this time she stayed longer than usual,' Mrs Clarke told the Bristol Evening Post.

'She came at about 5.15pm and left at about 7.30pm.

'We had a bit of custard and stewed gooseberry. When she left she said, as she always did, 'Good night. God bless. I don't know when I'll be seeing thee'.'

Officers also rounded up the city's 'tramps and vagrants' and brought them in for questioning, with some 21 picked up in police patrol cars in one swoop.

'We found them sleeping in countryside, empty houses and parks,' one detective said. 'They got a free meal afterwards.' All were eliminated from the inquiry.

Police hunted for the killer, taking palm prints from thousands of men aged between 16 and 60 in the Easton area.

Detective Chief Inspector Frederick Cross, who was working on the case, said: 'We are getting 100 per cent co-operation from the public for this difficult job.

'People have been coming into the station and volunteering their prints and ringing us up to tell us when they will be home.'

A team of eight were said to be checking and re-checking the prints for up to 15 hours a day - with a pile of 5,000 to be looked at.

After each print was cleared, it was filed away and officers said once the hunt for the killer was over, the prints would be destroyed by being thrown into a sack before being burnt at Bridewell police station.