Who is Lord Lucan? True story of nanny killer as weapon pictured for the first time

It's been almost 50 years since the notorious Lord Lucan mystery shocked the .

On November 7, 1974, children's nanny Sandra Rivett, 29, was bludgeoned to death while working for the Lucan family in their London townhouse. Her body was found in a blood-soaked mailbag in the basement kitchen, but the prime murder suspect, her boss Richard John Bingham, had already fled the country.

It's believed Bingham - also known as - managed to fly to with the help of rich friends. There have since been multiple 'sightings' of the missing man as far as India and Mozambique. As the reveals the half a century on, we take a look at his history...

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Who is Lord Lucan?

Bingham was the seventh Earl of Lucan and was born in 1934 to a wealthy father who served in Clement Atlee's government. His great-great-grandfather ordered the Charge of the Light Brigade.

Lucan briefly worked at a bank in London then got lucky and won tens of thousands of pounds gambling. He spent his enormous winnings on a lavish lifestyle, driving powerboats, buying racehorses and racing bobsleighs. His ritzy life led to him allegedly being considered for the screen role of James Bond.

In 1963, Lucan married a middle-class woman, called Veronica Duncan - despite being known as a snob who reportedly refused to take to people who "didn't have proper shoelaces". The couple went on to have three children, but Lady Lucan suffered from postnatal depression, and their marriage soon broke down.

Lucan, who succeeded to the earldom after his father died, tried and failed to have his wife sent to a psychiatric hospital. In 1973, they split and a bitter custody battle ensued - but Lucan lost the court case. A year later, he found himself caught up in a murder case.

What happened to Lord Lucan's family?

In 1975, the family's nanny, Sandra, was brutally killed and the car Lucan was using, a Ford Corsair, was found splattered with her blood type and a metal pipe, similar to the murder weapon. Lucan claimed he had been on a run when he saw an intruder struggling with his wife in the basement. He said he ran in to help but the man escaped.

Lucan claimed his wife would accuse him of being responsible so he decided to lie low and fled the UK. In a landmark inquest in 1975, the jury found Lucan guilty of murder, based on his wife's testimony and other evidence. Lucan's friend, Greville Howard, later told police that Lucan had said killing his wife would save him from bankruptcy.

Was Lord Lucan related to the Queen?

His close friend Bill Shand Kydd was a former jockey whose older brother Peter was married to Princess Diana's mother for almost two decades.

Peter married to Princess Diana's mother, Frances, after her divorce from Earl Spencer.

Meanwhile Bill's wife was Christina, sister of Lucan's wife Veronica.

It was Christina who had introduced Veronica to the then John Bingham.

Lord Lucan's net worth

In 2018, homelessness charity Shelter confirmed it was set to receive the entire estate of Lady Lucan following her death.

A spokeswoman for the charity said: “At a time when over 300,000 people in Britain are without a home, we are incredibly grateful for the support we receive. The proceeds from Lady Lucan’s estate will help Shelter to continue fighting bad housing and homelessness.”

Veronica, the Dowager Countess of Lucan, was found dead at her home in Westminster in September 2017..

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, daughter Camilla Bingham confirmed that Lady Lucan had “left her estate to the homeless charity Shelter”.

While Shelter didn't comment on the sum that was donated, the Mail on Sunday reported that the Belgravia townhouse in which she was found dead was worth £2.9m.

Where is Lord Lucan now?

Initially, police believed Lucan had fled to Africa, and multiple people have allegedly sighted him around the world since. But his wife believed he took his own life by taking a ferry from Newhaven and throwing himself into the Channel. In 2016, his son George Bingham said he believed his father had been dead since 1974. In 2016, Lucan was declared dead.

Now, the is running three documentaries examining whether Lucan, who would now be 89, managed to escape the UK. TV crime producer Sandy Kaye, who worked on shows like Police 5 and Crimestoppers, shared with the Mirror a photograph of the murder weapon - blood-covered lead piping - for the first time.

She said: "I've kept this photo safe for 41 years, but now it's time for the world to see it. It's such an important part of British crime history." Kaye said it was taken on March 25, 1983, when she gained the trust of staff inside 's Black Museum while working with police.

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