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| Neil Berriman says Lucan, who vanished after the murder of Sandra Rivett in 1974, lives as a Buddhist in a shared house. |
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Son of Lord
Lucan's murdered nanny claims to have found missing Earl alive
Andy Lines 13 hrs ago
Richard John Bingham, Lord
Lucan who mysteriously disappeared after the murder of his children's nanny
Sandra Rivett, at the family's Belgravia home in 1974. He has never been seen
since
The son of
the nanny killed by Lord Lucan claims he has found the peer in Australia.
Neil
Berriman says Lucan, who vanished after the murder of Sandra Rivett in 1974,
lives as a Buddhist in a shared house.
After
telling police of his findings, he said: “I know he’s still alive.”
The man he
believes to be Lucan is in his mid-80s and seriously ill, awaiting major
surgery and virtually housebound in a large shared detached house in the suburbs.
Mr
Berriman, 52, has been to Scotland Yard’s Cold Case Unit with his findings,
telling them: “I believe I have tracked down the man, Lord Lucan, who murdered
my mother.”
a man
holding a sign posing for the camera: Neil Berriman has spent thousands on his
own investigation© Ian Vogler/Daily Mirror Neil Berriman has spent thousands on
his own investigation
He said the
officer he spoke to agreed that police must look into his claims. He added:
“They will now have to investigate this properly.”
The building
contractor and father-of-two claims Lucan based himself in Perth on arrival in
Australia, but moved to another part of the country after a series of
disagreements with pals.
He now has
a new group of friends. Two are young Englishmen, and another is an Australian
he first met on a Buddhist retreat 11 years ago. They all take part in daily
meditation sessions.
The mystery
man needs a part-time carer, and often sits on the verandah listening to trains
in the distance. The friends confirmed to the Daily Mirror that an elderly
Englishman who looks like Lucan lives at the house.
Lord
“Lucky” Lucan, who would have turned 85 last month, disappeared after the
murder of Miss Rivett at the family’s exclusive mews home in Belgravia, Central
London, on November 7, 1974.
He had run
up huge gambling debts, his volatile marriage to Lady Veronica Lucan had
collapsed and the couple were going through a bitter custody battle over their
three children.
Police
believe he attacked Miss Rivett with a taped-up piece of lead piping after
mistaking her for his wife.
After the
attack he fled and was last spotted at the manor house home of Peter and Susan
Maxwell-Scott in East Sussex.
At the time
there were rumours he had committed suicide by throwing himself off a
cross-Channel ferry from Newhaven days after the murder. But no body was ever
washed up, and the mystery of his disappearance has endured for 46 years. It
has always been thought possible that powerful friends may have helped him
escape to avoid a lengthy prison sentence.
Lord Lucan
was a member of the Clermont Set, a group of powerful, wealthy people including
millionaire businessmen Sir James Goldsmith and John Aspinall. There have been
sightings in South Africa, the Maldives, India and even India. But, despite
extensive police inquiries, he has never been found.
Mr
Berriman’s quest began when he discovered 12 years ago that he was Sandra
Rivett’s secret son, who had been adopted shortly after birth.
When Lucan
was formally declared dead by the High Court on February 3, 2016, he received a
detailed tip by letter that Lucan was in fact alive.
He then
decided to spend £30,000 of his own cash on a private investigation. As he dug
deeper, he claimed evidence showed that Lucan had indeed escaped British
justice.
Mr
Berriman, who lives with partner Kim in Milland, West Sussex, said: “He has
been alive all this time. Lying about who he is. Lying about it to his new
friends.
“They are
fully aware he is a mystery elderly Englishman and not who he is claiming to
be.
John
Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan wearing a suit and tie posing for a photo: Lord
Lucan with his wife Veronica, Lady Lucan© Universal Pictorial Press Lord Lucan
with his wife Veronica, Lady Lucan
“The people
he lives with know he has a mystery past and what he tells them does not add up.
They have had their suspicions for many years.
“Lucan is a
deceitful conman and he is the man who murdered my mother.
“There is
absolutely no doubt in my mind he escaped that night, with the help of friends
who helped him get across the Channel and get a new passport, and incredibly he
is still alive.
“From my
own inquiries he’s had at least six different identities."
The police
have asked Mr Berriman to return to them to fully present the evidence
painstakingly collected from his personal four-year investigation. Now he is
demanding they put a team of detectives together to look into his fresh
information fully. Attempts are still being made to try to confirm
independently if his claims are true.
Scotland
Yard said it would not comment on the case, adding: “Generally however we don’t
comment on who we may or may not speak to when/if a case is reviewed.” The
mystery man is aware of the claims, but the Mirror has chosen not to reveal his
identity.
Mr Berriman
admitted the search has taken over his life. He said: “I’ve spent around
£30,000 of my own money in this search for the truth.
“I’ve paid
for flights, hotels and even expert facial recognition technology for analysis.
That showed a similarity of over 85% – and that is taking into account all the
plastic surgery he has clearly had. It certainly has all added up.
a person in
a newspaper: The frontpage of the Daily Mirror in 1974 as the scandal broke©
Provided by Mirror The frontpage of the Daily Mirror in 1974 as the scandal
broke
“It’s taken
me all over Australia and it’s taken me to meet all sorts of people who have
helped me along the way – my journey to discover the truth.
“But I
consider every penny was well spent – it has enabled me to get where we are
today. It took over my life but it had to be done. I know some people would say
that it’s become an obsession.
“That may
be so. But I would simply say to them: put yourself in my shoes.
“What would
you do if your mum had been killed, and no one had been brought to justice and
the man who killed her was never found? You’d do exactly what I’ve done to
discover the truth, I think. This has brought me and my family so much stress
and heartache.”
John
Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan standing in front of a mirror posing for the camera:
Lord © PA Lord
But Mr
Berriman added, with a tear in his eye: “There is absolutely no doubt in my
mind it was the right thing to do.”
If Lord
Lucan is still alive it would have serious repercussions for the current Lord
Lucan, George Bingham, who is the son of the fugitive.
George
Charles Bingham, the 8th Earl of Lucan, would lose his title and inheritance if
his father is still alive.
The earldom
of Lucan was created back in 1795 during the reign of King George III.
The
Binghams are an Anglo-Irish aristocratic family. Among them were George
Bingham, the 3rd Earl of Lucan, who is best remembered for his controversial
role in the Crimean War, when he lead the cavalry division involved in the
infamous Charge of the Light Brigade.
1 comment:
At the time (1974), I remember Lord Lucan's beautiful mews home in Belgravia, perfect family and lovely young nanny. But it wasn't till he supposedly arrived in Australia that my contemporaries started listening to men with posh English accents, to see if we could detect Lord Lucan.
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