There are few stories of crime in the UK that have garnered more fascination and puzzlement than the case of Lord Lucan. The 7th Earl of Lucan, also known as Richard John Bingham, was a noted socialite who gambled frequently, but was caught up in a murder case and disappeared. It remains one of the most enduring mysteries of 20th century England.
It was the night of November 7th, 1974, that a murder took place in a London townhouse. A witness blamed Lord Lucan for the murder which set off a manhunt that continues to this day. Lord Lucan vanished without a trace. Only leaving behind a series of speculations and unanswered questions that is still the subject of conversations in the greater London area and beyond.
Who is Lord Lucan?
Born on December 18th, 1934, Richard John Bingham grew up to become educated in one of the most prestigious schools in England, Eton. He served briefly in the Coldstream Guards before leaving military service and entered the glamorous world of the 1950s. Thanks to his wealth, charm, and good looks along with the title of noble, Lord Lucan became a fixture of the London scene.
Lucan was known for being a high-stakes gambler. And while he did briefly work in a London bank, he abandoned his job to instead build his wealth based on the high-risk profession of gambling. Over the years, Lord Lucan would win substantial amounts of money only to lose the same amount, if not more. It would be troubles with money that would play a role in his downfall.
The Set Up for Murder
In 1963, Lucan married Veronica Duncan, a woman who came from a middle-class family. They seemed the ideal couple who had three children and a fine standing within the community. They lived a luxurious lifestyle in the fashionable London district of Belgravia. However, despite appearances there was trouble brewing in the marriage.
The gambling habits of Lucan would put an increasing financial strain on the family. When the couple separated in 1972, Lucan wanted custody of the children but only got visitation rights. Veronica was suffering from depression and Lucan’s obsession led to erratic behavior over time.
All of it came to a head on the night of November 7th, 1974. On that evening, the Lucan’s 29-year-old nanny, Sandra Rivett, was bludgeoned to death in the basement of Veronica Lucan’s home. Just after the attack, Veronica was also assaulted, but she managed to escape to a nearby pub. Amid the patrons at the pub, Veronica named her estranged husband as the one who attacked her.
According to her story, she had gone downstairs to see what had happened to Rivett when she did not return from making tea. Inside the darkened basement, Veronica was struck repeatedly with a lead pipe wielded by a man she identified as Lord Lucan. According to Veronica, Lord Lucan’s intended victim had been her, but he mistook the nanny and killed her instead.
The police were called, and they quickly identified Lord Lucan as the primary suspect in the murder of Sandra Rivett. Her blood was found in Lucan’s car, and a lead pipe was also found nearby. However, Lord Lucan had disappeared.
The Disappearance & the Manhunt
The last known sight of Lord Lucan was shortly after the murder. Lucan drove to East Sussex where he visited a friend. Lucan told his friend that he had been in “a terrible catastrophe” seeing his wife being attacked by another man. He borrowed his friend’s vehicle, telling him he was heading back to London. The car was later found near Newhaven along the English coast. Inside the car were bloodstains and a piece of lead pipe that had been wrapped in a bandage. But there was no sign of Lord Lucan.
There have been many theories about what happened to Lord Lucan. Of the many questions, one of the most prominent has been did he commit suicide by drowning the English Channel? It would explain the body being missing.
However, other theories include fleeing overseas using the connections of wealthy friends or living under an assumed identity. Despite extensive investigations, there has never been a trace of Lord Lucan. Despite sightings from around the world, none of them were ever verified.
Aftermath
A coroner’s inquest was held months after the murder took place. The jury’s conclusion was that Lord Lucan had killed Sanra Rivett. This was the last time that an inquest jury formally named a murderer in their verdict in the history of England.
However, despite all efforts at locating Lord Lucan, he was not to be found. Veronica, his estranged wife, lived a quiet, reclusive life and only gave occasional interviews until her death in 2017. She believed to the end that Lord Lucan had taken his own life shortly after the murder. Quite possibly by jumping into the English Channel.
It was not until 1999 that Lord Lucan was officially declared dead. This was mostly for legal reasons to allow his son, George Bingham, to inherit the family title. However, a death certificate was not issued until 2016, over four decades after Lord Lucan disappeared.
Today, it has been more than fifty years since the murder of Sandra Rivett. And yet the mystery of Lord Lucan not only survives but has thrived over the years thanks to his ultimate fate being unknown. Although it is probably most likely that Lord Lucan met his fate in the English Channel, having entered the cold waters never to return. It is far more interesting to believe that he is still alive.
It is certainly possible, although not very likely, that Lord Lucan entered his nineties and is still alive somewhere in the world. Whether he is still living abroad and in disguise only fuels the mystery of what happened on that fateful night and after his last known sighting. His story has taken on the air of legend.
Part crime story, part ghost story, and always intriguing, the disappearance of Lord Lucan has become a tale of wealth, privilege, and obsession gone wrong. The murder of a nanny followed by an attack on Veronica Bingham that failed. Followed by his last known whereabouts and not a trace afterwards, the tale of Lord Lucan will always live on.
