Lord Lucan: The Murder Suspect Who Vanished Without a Trace
The 1974 disappearance of Richard John Bingam, 7th Earl of Lucan, after allegedly murdering the family nanny.
On the night of November 7, 1974, an intruder entered the Lucan's London home at 46 Lower Belgrave Street. Sandra Rivett, the Lucan family nanny, was there at the time; she was beaten to death with a length of metal pipe wrapped in surgical tape. Lady Lucan was also attacked, but managed to fight off the assailant. After escaping the attack, she staggered to a nearby pub for help.
Lady Lucan soon identified her estranged husband as the intruder. November 7 was a Thursday—Sandra Rivett’s usual day off. It is suggested that Lord Lucan did not expect Sandra to be home, and so mistook the nanny for his wife, killing her before realizing his mistake. While the Lucans were separated, Veronica had indeed told one of the family nannies that Lucan had assaulted her more than once. She claimed to fear for her life. It would seem that her fears were justified.
By the time police arrived to survey the scene, Lucan was nowhere to be found. The last confirmed sighting of him was leaving the home of friend Susan Maxwell-Scott in the early hours of November 8, having visited her and posted two letters to other friends. His car was later found near Newhaven, not far from Maxwell-Scott’s home. It contained a number of bloodstains and a length of metal pipe wrapped in surgical tape, very similar to the murder weapon that had been left behind at the scene of the crime.
The letters Lucan sent were handed over to the police by their recipients. One of those letters was spotted with blood. Additional bloodstains on the murder weapon recovered at 46 Lower Belgrave Street were forensically matched to Sandra Rivett and Lady Lucan. An arrest warrant was issued and Interpol notified. He was never caught.
