Granddaughter speaks of how Louisa Dunne’s murder cast shadow over family

The granddaughter of Louisa Dunne has spoken of how her death at the hands of Ryland Headley hung over her family for decades.

Mary Dainton told Bristol Crown Court in a victim impact statement how her mother never recovered from the circumstances of her own mother’s murder.

“The death of my grandmother had a far-reaching effect throughout my family,” she told the court.

“I was 20-years-old when my grandmother died. I am now almost the same age as she was when she was killed.

“Since Ryland Headley was charged with her rape and murder, I have struggled emotionally in ways I didn’t anticipate, but I feel it falls to me to speak for the people who are no longer here.

“Because of family circumstances I didn’t know my grandmother. I know that we stayed with her when I was a very young child and I can remember visiting her in hospital when I was about 14.

“My mother told me that my grandmother’s house in Britannia Road was a place of social and political activity because my grandparents were active members of the early Labour Party.

“Sadly, my grandfather, Edwin Parker, died in 1945 and the social and political elements of my grandmother’s life went with him.

“A few years later she married Mr Dunne, who also pre-deceased her, so she was widowed twice.

“Louisa’s death had a big impact on my mother, my aunt and her family. I don’t think my mother ever recovered from it.

“The anxiety caused by her mother’s brutal rape and murder clouded the rest of her life as well as the lives of her sister, my aunt and her son, my cousin.

“The fact that the offender wasn’t caught, caused my mother to become and remain very ill.

“There were no counsellors for working class people then. My mother came from a generation that dealt with tragedy differently.

“When people found out about the murder they withdrew from us.

“In my experience there is a stigma attached to rape and murder, so I have rarely talked to anyone about this until now, when the emotions I have repressed for so long have come to the surface.

“It has turned my life upside down. I feel sad and very tired, which has affected the relationships I have with those close to me.

“I didn’t expect to have to deal with something of such emotional significance at this stage of my life.

“It is only through counselling that I am able to cope and have the resilience to be in court every day.

“It saddens me deeply that all the people who knew and loved Louisa are not here to see that justice is being done.”