An inquest held on 7th July 2005 failed to determine that a body washed up on a Brighstone beach was that of missing peer Lord Lucan.
The disappearance of Old Etonian ex-banker Richard John Bingham (Lord Lucan) – known to his friends as ‘Lucky’ Lucan – had been one of the great mysteries of the late 20th century.
On 7th November 1974 – some 30 years previously – Police had discovered the body of Lord Lucan’s family’s nanny Sandra Rivett in a sack inside Lucan’s house. The alarm had been raised by the bloodstained Countess of Lucan. 3 days later, a bloodstained Ford Corsair belonging to Lucan was found in Newhaven, Sussex. The Earl subsequently vanished without trace.
The riddle of the fate of the caddish Earl – who was (among other things) a powerboat ace, bobsleigh champion and inveterate gambler – was thought to have been solved when a body was found washed up in West Wight the previous year by beachcomber Mark Adams.
The age of the body, its jawline, the 5ft 11 inch height and dental investigations all appeared to match his profile. At the time of his disappearance, it was conjectured that he had had access to a boat and may have chosen to end his life at sea. Furthermore, Lucan had a connection with the Island as he had lost his speedboat close to the Needles some 10 years before he vanished.
It was also known that the sea around the Needles was known as a sea burial ground. Some suggested that enemies of Lucan may have disposed of his body there. However, if the corpse had been disposed of there, whoever responsible had not considered the strong winds and tides that led to the corpses frequently being washed up on Island beaches. 4 bodies buried at sea had subsequently resurfaced on the Isle of Wight coastline over the previous years.
In the event, a detailed and thorough investigation of dental records had led to the inquest concluding that the corpse was not that of Lucan.
Island Coroner John Matthews noted that the murder investigation, recovery of the body by coastguard helicopter, the use of a Police spotter plane, the investigation by a Home Office pathologist and forensic orthodontist had racked up a cost of £10,000.
Yeah definitely wasn’t me on Brighstone beach
Good luck to the guy if he is still about, got out while he had the chance, must of got wise to the shit that was coming
Good luck to an indolent, incredibly privileged vicious murderer who killed a completely innocent person then fled and abandoned his children, Cock Robin? Have you thought your philosophy through?
What are you then, judge jury and executioner, you don’t know that Lucan murdered her.
Bizarre
That has to be the weirdest response