– Murder of Louisa Dunne – 58 years
Mrs Dunne, 75, was raped and murdered in 1967 after being attacked in her home in Bristol. Ryland Headley, now aged 92, was convicted for rape and murder following a trial at Bristol Crown Court in 2025.
– Murder of Yolande Waddington – 46 years
The 17-year-old nanny was killed by David Burgess in a Berkshire village in 1966. A year later, he murdered two children. In 2012, he was given a further life sentence for Yolande’s murder.
– Roland Long rape case – 42 years
Long was jailed in 2022 for 12 years for raping a woman in the Cardiff area.
– Manslaughter and rape of Janet Commins – 41 years
In 1976, 15-year-old Janet Commins was found dead in Flint, North Wales. A man was wrongly jailed for killing her. Former soldier Stephen Hough was later caught from DNA recovered from the scene. He was jailed for manslaughter in 2017.
– David Lomax rape case – 40 years
The former police officer raped a woman in 1978 in Leeds after she was unable to pay a fine. He was convicted of rape and misconduct in public office in 2018 and jailed.
– Murders of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce – 34 years
The two young women were found dead in Tunbridge Wells in 1987 in what became known as the “Bedsit Murders”. In 2021, David Fuller was handed a whole life order for the murders and the sexual abuse of more than 100 dead women and girls in hospital mortuaries.
– Murder of Roy Tutill – 33 years
The 14-year-old was sexually assaulted and murdered in 1968 in Surrey. A cold case review led to convicted paedophile Brian Field when his DNA was linked to the crime. He was jailed for life in 2001 for murdering Roy.
– Murder and rape of Melanie Road – 32 years
The 17-year-old was found stabbed to death after a night out in Bath, Somerset in 1984. Her murder remained unsolved until a familial DNA match led to father-of-four Christopher Hampton. He was jailed for life in 2016 for rape and murder.
– Murder of Colette Aram – 27 years
The 16-year-old was raped and strangled in 1983 in Nottinghamshire. Her murder remained unsolved until a familial DNA search matched a relative of Paul Hutchinson. Hutchinson was jailed for life in 2010.
