Fight for justice
Who is Sandra Rivett’s son Neil Berriman and why does he feature in ITV’s Lucan docuseries?
Neil believes Lord Lucan is still hiding from the law
NEIL Berriman is the secret son of Sandra Rivett, a West London nanny who was murdered by Lord Lucan.
A new BBC documentary, presented by Neil, will dive into the details of the tragic murder and hopes to uncover where Lord Lucan might have fled to.
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A shocking discovery
Neil was given up for adoption shortly after he was born, so he spent much of his life unaware of who his biological mother was.
He grew up to become a builder in Hampshire and was 40 years old when he finally learned the truth about his mum.
At first, he didn’t believe the news that his mother was Sandra Rivett, a nanny who was murdered by Lord Lucan.
He said he was in “complete shock” when he discovered who his mother really was and vowed to see the man responsible “caught”.
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On his website, lordlucanthetruth.com, Neil explains that he is unhappy about how his mother was referred to as “just the nanny” when she was the victim of a “violent crime”.
He believes that this is because her “killer was a Lord” who was helped in evading the law by his “rich and powerful friends”.
On the website, he has collated a wide range of reports and pieces of evidence related to his mother’s case and explains that he is motivated by one simple motto: "Sandra was my mum, how far would you go if it had of been yours?"
Murder in Belgravia
Sandra Rivett was just 29 years old when she was murdered in the basement of a townhouse on Lower Belgrave Street, West London.
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She had been working as a nanny for Veronica Duncan, the ex-wife of Lord Lucan, up until her death.
Neil was her second child, but her first, Stephen, was being raised by her parents since she was embroiled in a bitter split with her ex-partner.
Lady Lucan opens up for the first time about her notorious husband Lord Lucan
When she gave birth to Neil, she gave him up for adoption.
On November 7, 1974, while at work, Veronica sent Sandra to fetch tea from the basement.
When Sandra didn’t return, Veronica went down to investigate.
Lucan attacked his ex-wife in the basement but she was able to persuade him to stop.
Veronica claimed she asked her estranged husband where Sandra was and he admitted to killing the nanny,.
She then fled to a nearby pub, where she called for help crying“he killed the nanny”, all the while dripping with blood.
A police search of the house led to the discovery of Sandra’s body in a sack, but Lucan had already vanished.
Unbeknown to Veronica and the police, Lucan had fled to the Sussex home of his friends, the Maxwell-Scotts.
He stayed at the mansion overnight, before departing in the morning.
Susan Maxwell-Scott, a close friend and ally of Lord Lucan, was the last person to see him alive.
She insisted that he was innocent of the crime and claimed that Lucan had broken into the house to fight off another man who was planning to kill Veronica.
Lucan was never seen again, but there have been many reports of him hiding in countries across Africa.
Other people have claimed that he took his own life, but no one is certain.
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A search for new evidence
Neil will front a new BBC show named Lucan, which hopes to discover the killer aristocrat’s whereabouts.
The show will kick off on November 6, 2024, 50 years after the murder took place, and will air in three parts.
Neil has previously opened up about why the show meant so much to him.
He said: “It is important to tell the story now, not just because it's the 50th anniversary, but because I am in a position to do so, one which I never thought I would find myself in.
“With a documentary and new evidence, some of which I am still working on, I feel now is the right time and almost the last chance before the old man passes away and the possibility of justice slipping away.
“I can never forget Sandra after all these years and Glen and myself cannot go on forever - all the pieces have fallen into place…the time has come.”
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Lucan, who was born on December 18, 1934, would be 89 if he is still alive as of November 2024.
He was declared dead in 1999.
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