Son of Lord Lucan’s Nanny Continues Search for Her Killer

Neil Berriman, the son of Sandra Rivett, the woman believed to have been murdered by Lord Lucan, maintains that the peer “could still be alive” despite his disappearance five decades ago. Mr. Berriman, who was 40 at the time, discovered he was Ms. Rivett’s son over ten years ago; she had worked as the Lucan family’s nanny. The British aristocrat became the primary suspect in the murder investigation after he vanished on the night Ms. Rivett was killed in November 1974. Her body was found in the basement of Lucan’s residence on Lower Belgrave Street, central London, initiating an extensive but unsuccessful search that spanned decades. With assistance from former BBC investigative journalist Glen Campbell, Mr. Berriman, who was adopted as an infant, has outlined Lucan’s probable escape to a life of exile in Africa in a new, three-part BBC series. This article contains details that some may find distressing. Mr. Berriman’s endeavor to locate Lucan commenced with the discovery of a brown envelope in a chest of drawers belonging to his adoptive mother. Three years after her death from cancer, he summoned the courage to open it. It was filled with photographs, documents, and newspaper clippings, which revealed the identity of his biological mother. Upon this profound discovery, Mr. Berriman stated he was “desperate” to gather as much information as possible about Ms. Rivett’s murder, and with the utmost speed. The builder from Hampshire remarked, “The chances of you being adopted and finding out your mother is one of the biggest murder mysteries of all time is just unbelievable.” He added, “She’s the mother I never knew, but that makes no difference.” He concluded, “Sandra is still my mum and I will do the best I can for her.” Graham Forsyth, then a detective sergeant with the Met Police, discovered Ms. Rivett’s body in the basement of Lucan’s house. He recounted, “In the dark, you could see there was a sack… there appeared to be an arm hanging out of it.” The seventh Earl of Lucan’s blood-stained car was subsequently found abandoned in Newhaven, East Sussex. Despite never being apprehended, an inquest jury in 1975 declared him the nanny’s killer. Lucan, born Richard John Bingham in 1934, was officially declared dead by the High Court in 1999. While most of Lucan’s friends and family insisted he had taken his own life, Mr. Berriman firmly asserted that the peer remained alive and was a fugitive. He stated, “There is also no actual proof that Lucan was dead so he could still be alive.” Since the night he vanished, there have been numerous unverified sightings of Lucan across the globe. There were even claims he lived in India as a hippy known as “Jungly Barry.” Mr. Berriman observed, “As time went on, people seemed to give up on it being a serious investigation.” He added, “He seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth, I didn’t know what to do.” However, a confidential police intelligence report, provided by an unnamed active Scotland Yard officer, generated fresh leads in his pursuit of the fugitive. Mr. Berriman stated that the report, authored in 2002, included evidence indicating Lucan had escaped to Mozambique in Africa and adopted the name John Crawford. He mentioned that it alluded to plans for “covert operations” which were subsequently discontinued. To safeguard the police officer, he declined to disclose the report, which led to a High Court judge issuing an official death certificate for Lucan in 2016. Mr. Berriman declared, “If he was alive, I was going to find him.” He further commented, “I’m no detective – but you don’t really have to be.” He concluded by stating, “I’ve got the mentality of being so tenacious that I won’t let anything lie.” A spokesperson for the Met Police confirmed that the inquiry into Sandra Rivett’s death is still active. They further stated, “Any significant new information or investigative opportunities that may be progress the investigation, will accordingly be considered by the Met.” The initial episode of *Lucan* is scheduled to broadcast on Wednesday at 21:00 GMT on BBC2. For updates, BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight can be followed on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.