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[dramatic music begins]
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[dramatic music continues]
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[Reporter #1]
Of Lucan himself,
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nothing has been seen since
his children's nanny was found
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battered to death
here in the basement
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of the family home in Belgravia.
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Exhaustive police searches
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of the South Coast
produced no clue.
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[Reporter #2] A massive
manhunt is underway
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for the location
of John Bingham,
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Seventh Earl of Lucan
who has disappeared
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and is suspected of murder.
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Anyone with information is
urged to contact police.
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[dramatic music continues]
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Bludgeoned to death at
46 Lower Belgrave Street.
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The Lucan family's
29-year-old nanny.
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She is the primary victim and
yet we don't talk about her.
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What we are really
interested in, say the press,
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is the glamorous story of
Lord Lucan and Veronica Lucan,
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and that is immensely tragic.
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The murder that saw her
lose her life has been defined
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in terms that don't
even namecheck her.
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She's referred to
retrospectively in the press
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as Little Miss Nobody.
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Well everybody is a somebody.
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And she was always
well turned out,
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very quiet girl just like
the rest of us really.
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Very sad 'cause you
don't want someone
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you went to school with
to be murdered, do you?
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It's just in the wrong
place at the wrong time.
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I feel guilty even now.
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I feel guilty because
of a young baby going
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to grow without his mommy.
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The victim in this
case did have a name.
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That name was Sandra Rivett.
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[dramatic music fades]
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The Lucan case.
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I can't remember a time
when I didn't know about it.
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It's something that so many
people have grown up with
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just in the collective
consciousness somehow.
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People used to tell jokes.
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It's almost like
he was a character
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rather than a person.
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I probably came across his
name more commonly like
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that than I did for
what he'd actually done.
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I joined the police in 1981
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and he was the suspect in
a murder investigation.
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There would be times when
I can remember friends
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and we were joking
about something
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and I said, "Maybe Lord Lucan's
gonna appear in a minute."
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It has so many of the elements
that make murder so very,
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very interesting and the
fact that it happened in
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that incongruous setting of
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that beautiful tall
white House in Belgravia
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and it's an unsolved mystery
because Lord Lucan disappeared.
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So it's one of
the great stories.
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I've heard a lot of
stories about Lord Lucan,
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but I know very, very
little about Veronica Lucan
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and I didn't know Sandra
Rivett's name until I came
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to do this project, which
is alarming, isn't it?
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This period of the 10 weeks
when Sandra Rivett was nanny
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to the Lucan children
is an unknown really.
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I believe she had a very good
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relationship with the children.
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There is no reason to disbelieve
that she was happy there.
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She brought a cat to the
house as well actually.
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So that was quite a sweet sort
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of domestic thing
to do if you like.
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And it does seem
like it was happy,
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it does seem like it
worked for all parties.
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[gentle music]
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She always wanted to
go back to Australia.
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She talked about
it a lot actually.
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She'd spent a lot of
her childhood there
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and she just missed it terribly
and she wanted to go back.
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She missed the weather,
she missed the life.
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[dramatic music]
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My name's Mary Mackenzie
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and I went to school with
Sandra when I lived in Caterham
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my friends rang me up
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and told me that Sandra
had been murdered.
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Well I was shocked, hard
to believe really and sad
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'cause she's got two boys.
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Sad for her children.
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They're more interested
in him, weren't they?
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Than they were her.
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They seem to just put her as
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an afterthought
really I thought.
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[Reporter #2] The family's
nanny killed in a murder
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most horrid.
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But the question on
everyone's lips is
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where is Lord Lucan?
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Did he do it?
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If not, why has he disappeared
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and where could he be?
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There's an article in which
it says it was an ugly real
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life performance of
upstairs, downstairs.
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And they then say,
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and she was firmly kept
in her place downstairs
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where she was slaughtered.
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[dramatic music continues]
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So it is leaning into
the class narrative.
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I mean by what parameters
are individuals judged.
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The Lucans were somebody
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and in relation to them,
Sandra, she was erased.
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She was erased.
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[peaceful music]
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Lord Lucan had a
certain status in life
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and it was that status
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that protected him really.
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And we might think that
things have changed,
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but if we look
through history now,
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we've got our cultural
royalty now rather
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than our actual aristocracy.
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People like Oscar Pistorius
who are in these elevated
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and privileged positions
and they killed partners.
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And yet in those cases,
even given what we know now,
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we still focused
on their narrative
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using their charisma to excuse
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and justify what
they might have done.
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So things haven't
changed that much.
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[peaceful music]
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I got a call from
a junior officer,
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like many officers in London
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that night would've
heard the gossip.
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I think I'm right in saying
I was probably the youngest
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reporter on the staff
of the Evening Standard.
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I'd only just taken
over on the crime desk.
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It was a very different
time in the 70s.
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The police and the press,
particularly in London,
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were very much in
each other's pockets.
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There was also quite
a lot of money passed
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and changed hands between
reporters and police officers.
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In return for a good story,
a return for a good tip.
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As a young crime reporter,
I asked a colleague,
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"How do you get a policeman
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"to accept money in
return for a story?"
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And I was told, "Well any copper
in Britain will be happily
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"accept a bottle of scotch."
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And after a while you
say, I found this new way
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of putting a bottle of scotch
in a brown paper envelope.
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It's called cash.
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And I found that little
method of recruiting contacts
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to be quite powerful
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and in fact that was one
of the ways I heard about
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that night was someone
that I had recently treated
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to a paper envelope drink.
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Looking back on
it, it was wrong,
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it was corrupt and I probably
shouldn't be talking about it,
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but it happened in every
Fleet Street newspaper
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and in every police station.
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[bell tolls]
[dramatic music]
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In terms of notifying
police of the murder,
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it was actually the landlord
of the Plumber's Arms.
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It was quite quiet that
evening when Lady Lucan came
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through the door covered
in blood being hysterical
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and almost fainting
in front of them.
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It would've been
a difficult scene.
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You know some people may have
thought, is this a windup?
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She initially said her
nanny had been killed.
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She said she'd been
attacked by her husband.
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At that point the publican
decided the best thing they could
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do was to try and calm
her as best they could
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and inform the police.
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I had a very good
contact with Roy Ranson,
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the senior
investigating officer,
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and I met him there
that night at the scene.
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It was already quite chaotic.
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There was one or two
policemen on the door.
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The forensic scientist
I think had arrived.
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There was an ambulance,
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there was people
looking out windows at
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what on earth was going
on in the road outside.
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It was a very posh part of
Belgravia and a very posh road.
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You didn't expect to
see something like that.
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As I was about to join
some of my other colleagues
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and photographers moving away
down the street a little way,
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I literally got
the wink from Roy.
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I slipped across to him and
talked to him on that doorstep
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and he said there was a body,
that it wasn't Lady Lucan,
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that Lady Lucan
and had been hurt
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and that he was really
interested in finding out
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where Lord Lucan was.
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[bell tolls]
[dramatic music]
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When you read the account
provided by Roy Ranson
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and others, it was
obviously a lot
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of officers had
entered the premises,
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which would not happen now,
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the scene would have been
contained very quickly,
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but back in 1974 it was a
different time, a different era
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and things weren't
necessarily dealt with
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as you would've wanted
them to at the time.
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Roy Ranson hadn't had any
chance to talk to Lady Lucan.
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As we were talking, we were
gravitating together almost
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to the top of the stairs
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and I got one look
down into the basement.
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It had police lights down there.
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There were police officers who
were walking through the pool
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of blood and tramping
it up the stairs
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and it was just general mayhem.
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In the bottom of the stairs
on the floor was the sack
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and Sandra Rivett's
body was in that sack
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and she was doubled up.
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She'd been put in
head and feet first.
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It was a very large
American canvas mail sack,
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00:12:06,380 --> 00:12:09,589
and as far as I know, they
have never been able to find
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where that sack came from
and why Lucan had it.
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We know why he took
it to the house.
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It was to get rid of the body.
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So the only thing you could see
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of Sandra was very undignified.
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She had tights and white
pants on and that was it.
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The officers recovered
a length of lead piping
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00:12:31,992 --> 00:12:33,924
and it had been
wrapped with tape.
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It was likely that that
was the item that was used
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to attack not only Sandra
Rivett but also Lady Lucan.
217
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We know that Lady
Lucan's hair fibres were
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00:12:43,866 --> 00:12:45,247
found on that item.
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00:12:47,007 --> 00:12:49,077
One of the things to bear
in mind is in this day
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and age, if you had a a
weapon like that recovered,
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00:12:51,943 --> 00:12:54,842
there would probably be
that much more information
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00:12:54,843 --> 00:12:56,844
that could be gleaned that
you were more than likely
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00:12:56,845 --> 00:12:58,949
to get DNA off of the weapon.
224
00:12:58,950 --> 00:13:01,400
But back then what they
would mainly be looking
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00:13:01,401 --> 00:13:04,610
for will be the fibres,
blood and whether
226
00:13:04,611 --> 00:13:07,925
or not there were any
traces of fingerprints.
227
00:13:10,479 --> 00:13:13,275
[dramatic music]
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Roy Ranson was the chief
superintendent at the time.
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I tried to put
myself in his shoes
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and think, so what
would I do next?
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Well, we know that some
of his staff were going
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to be doing the initial
work at the scene in terms
233
00:13:28,911 --> 00:13:32,534
of exhibits, forensication,
house to house inquiries.
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00:13:32,535 --> 00:13:35,365
He would've been thinking,
how am I going to identify
235
00:13:35,366 --> 00:13:37,299
how many suspects
were involved in it?
236
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The person who attacked
her attacked her brutally
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and with an extreme
amount of force,
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the force was from
a blunt weapon
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and all of it was
directed towards her head
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and face, which means
that they were determined
241
00:13:55,524 --> 00:13:58,838
to do the most damage possible.
242
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This was a rage-fueled attack
243
00:14:05,637 --> 00:14:09,433
and it wasn't just one
blow or a couple of blows.
244
00:14:09,434 --> 00:14:14,404
This was a lot of
blows to Sandra's head.
245
00:14:14,405 --> 00:14:16,233
The number one question
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00:14:16,234 --> 00:14:18,615
that next morning
would've been, who died?
247
00:14:18,616 --> 00:14:19,616
Who was murdered?
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And where's Lord Lucan?
249
00:14:21,205 --> 00:14:25,691
I can remember that being a
very fierce topic of debate
250
00:14:25,692 --> 00:14:28,453
where he could possibly be,
where he might be hiding.
251
00:14:31,940 --> 00:14:33,493
Had he done it?
252
00:14:35,012 --> 00:14:37,945
Sandra's identity and details
253
00:14:37,946 --> 00:14:41,052
such as they were would've
come out the next day.
254
00:14:42,295 --> 00:14:44,641
The police knowledge
of the victim in terms
255
00:14:44,642 --> 00:14:48,024
of victimology was
that she was the nanny
256
00:14:48,025 --> 00:14:49,646
to the three children.
257
00:14:49,647 --> 00:14:52,166
She had only been
working at that address
258
00:14:52,167 --> 00:14:54,030
for about three months.
259
00:14:54,031 --> 00:14:56,273
She only started in August.
260
00:14:56,274 --> 00:14:58,827
It would've become apparent
that the relationship
261
00:14:58,828 --> 00:15:02,348
between Lady Lucan and
Sandra Rivett was healthy.
262
00:15:02,349 --> 00:15:03,178
It was good.
263
00:15:04,593 --> 00:15:08,354
Sandra Rivett was almost
certainly murdered in error.
264
00:15:08,355 --> 00:15:11,047
The intended victim
had been Lady Lucan.
265
00:15:11,048 --> 00:15:14,533
This appalling set
of circumstances
266
00:15:14,534 --> 00:15:18,571
whereby Sandra, who should
have been on her night off,
267
00:15:18,572 --> 00:15:23,024
descended into the dark
basement of this tall house
268
00:15:23,025 --> 00:15:24,439
to make some tea
269
00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:27,547
and in the dark was
mistaken for Veronica Lucan.
270
00:15:28,755 --> 00:15:31,136
I think it's quite
quickly forgotten
271
00:15:31,137 --> 00:15:35,036
that while Sandra is the
victim of this piece,
272
00:15:35,037 --> 00:15:37,349
she's the young woman
who lost her life,
273
00:15:37,350 --> 00:15:40,214
inexplicably and horribly.
274
00:15:40,215 --> 00:15:43,458
There is another victim
and that's Veronica.
275
00:15:43,459 --> 00:15:47,325
[sombre music]
276
00:15:49,258 --> 00:15:51,604
I have some sympathy
with Lady Lucan
277
00:15:51,605 --> 00:15:56,438
because I think she did have
mentally challenging issues.
278
00:15:57,784 --> 00:16:01,752
Lord Lucan wasn't a particularly
caring husband to her
279
00:16:01,753 --> 00:16:03,237
and I don't think that
280
00:16:03,238 --> 00:16:06,412
after they got married he
even liked her for long,
281
00:16:06,413 --> 00:16:08,036
from everything that I've heard.
282
00:16:09,934 --> 00:16:14,558
Towards the end of 1972,
Veronica turns to one
283
00:16:14,559 --> 00:16:16,836
of Lord Lucan's relatives
284
00:16:16,837 --> 00:16:19,184
and describes how
she's been feeling
285
00:16:19,185 --> 00:16:22,153
and she says she
could no longer cope.
286
00:16:24,259 --> 00:16:27,779
She describes how alone
and unhappy she felt.
287
00:16:29,471 --> 00:16:33,232
She spoke of her
husband's mental cruelty
288
00:16:33,233 --> 00:16:37,168
and she hinted at sexual
and physical abuse.
289
00:16:39,377 --> 00:16:40,964
We have to bear in mind
290
00:16:40,965 --> 00:16:43,346
that the accidental player in
this narrative is Veronica.
291
00:16:43,347 --> 00:16:45,037
She's the person who survived
292
00:16:45,038 --> 00:16:47,453
and who later gave her
testimony, wrote a book, et cetera.
293
00:16:47,454 --> 00:16:51,010
So we have to treat what
she says with caution,
294
00:16:53,805 --> 00:16:57,670
but certainly she is
very clear about aspects
295
00:16:57,671 --> 00:17:00,190
of their marriage that are
shocking to read about.
296
00:17:00,191 --> 00:17:03,055
You know, the cane that was
in his cupboard that he used
297
00:17:03,056 --> 00:17:04,264
to beat sense into her,
298
00:17:06,956 --> 00:17:09,717
beating out the nonsense
before they had intercourse.
299
00:17:09,718 --> 00:17:11,789
This happened more than once.
300
00:17:13,998 --> 00:17:17,828
There were accusations of abuse
301
00:17:17,829 --> 00:17:19,175
and control
302
00:17:19,176 --> 00:17:22,902
and stalking, which
are the three classic,
303
00:17:22,903 --> 00:17:27,148
classic risk-markers that
we would expect to see
304
00:17:27,149 --> 00:17:30,358
and I don't think I was
surprised to see them,
305
00:17:30,359 --> 00:17:33,258
but I was surprised
that they were
306
00:17:33,259 --> 00:17:35,225
actually pretty well known,
307
00:17:35,226 --> 00:17:38,711
but nobody seemed to think they
were particularly relevant.
308
00:17:38,712 --> 00:17:41,369
[sombre music continues]
309
00:17:41,370 --> 00:17:43,475
Lord Lucan and
starts telling people
310
00:17:43,476 --> 00:17:47,582
that Veronica's behaving
oddly, suggesting
311
00:17:47,583 --> 00:17:52,277
that she's mad, making out
that she's harmed herself
312
00:17:52,278 --> 00:17:54,417
by throwing herself
down the stairs.
313
00:17:54,418 --> 00:17:56,557
He says all kinds of
things that starts
314
00:17:56,558 --> 00:18:01,528
to build a very negative picture
of her with other people.
315
00:18:02,840 --> 00:18:05,393
His motives for doing
that feel very devaluing.
316
00:18:05,394 --> 00:18:08,258
It's like, "I've had enough
of this particular person
317
00:18:08,259 --> 00:18:10,778
"and I want them
gone out of my life
318
00:18:10,779 --> 00:18:14,576
"and I will tell whatever story
I need to get what I want."
319
00:18:15,715 --> 00:18:17,681
The press knew within a day
320
00:18:17,682 --> 00:18:20,132
or two that some
of the basic story
321
00:18:20,133 --> 00:18:23,411
that Lord Lucan wasn't
living at the family home,
322
00:18:23,412 --> 00:18:26,173
that there had
been disagreements
323
00:18:26,174 --> 00:18:28,072
about the custody
of the children.
324
00:18:29,763 --> 00:18:31,695
There were several
custody battles
325
00:18:31,696 --> 00:18:36,286
and Roy showed me the details
of the one that really sank
326
00:18:36,287 --> 00:18:37,806
Lord Lucan in the end.
327
00:18:39,118 --> 00:18:42,775
Veronica reveals that Lord
Lucan had made her dress
328
00:18:42,776 --> 00:18:46,124
in a rubber exercise
suit so that she was hot
329
00:18:46,125 --> 00:18:48,954
and sweaty when they
went to bed together.
330
00:18:48,955 --> 00:18:52,475
He had no clue that
she'd ever used
331
00:18:52,476 --> 00:18:54,787
that information in public.
332
00:18:54,788 --> 00:18:58,515
So when Lord Lucan is sitting
there in the custody hearing
333
00:18:58,516 --> 00:19:02,174
and he has his aged mother,
Caitlin, the Doja Countess
334
00:19:02,175 --> 00:19:04,003
of Lucan at his side
335
00:19:04,004 --> 00:19:07,421
and suddenly out of the blue
Veronica starts revealing
336
00:19:07,422 --> 00:19:12,427
the secrets of their bedroom
sex games and his kinkiness.
337
00:19:14,222 --> 00:19:17,085
He had been so embarrassed
that he hadn't been able
338
00:19:17,086 --> 00:19:20,917
to look at or talk to his
mother for weeks afterwards.
339
00:19:20,918 --> 00:19:23,092
He didn't expect that
to ever come out.
340
00:19:24,404 --> 00:19:26,025
I personally think
341
00:19:26,026 --> 00:19:29,375
that was the moment when Lord
Lucan decided she had to die.
342
00:19:32,999 --> 00:19:37,071
It's in the official
record that he,
343
00:19:37,072 --> 00:19:40,178
I say manipulated
her in her words,
344
00:19:40,179 --> 00:19:42,525
to go and get
psychiatric treatment.
345
00:19:42,526 --> 00:19:45,976
He told her that
she was going crazy.
346
00:19:45,977 --> 00:19:49,498
He told her that she needed
drugs to keep her stable.
347
00:19:51,914 --> 00:19:56,124
Veronica Lucan must
have been a lonely person
348
00:19:56,125 --> 00:20:01,026
and Sandra must have filled
a hole in her emotional
349
00:20:01,027 --> 00:20:03,511
and you know, social life.
350
00:20:03,512 --> 00:20:05,893
So they probably
were getting on okay,
351
00:20:05,894 --> 00:20:08,136
they were getting on well
enough for the children
352
00:20:08,137 --> 00:20:09,517
to really like her.
353
00:20:09,518 --> 00:20:13,211
They told their dad that
she was a very nice nanny
354
00:20:13,212 --> 00:20:16,041
and that everything
seemed to be going fine.
355
00:20:16,042 --> 00:20:19,045
[gentle piano music]
356
00:20:20,702 --> 00:20:24,325
Sandra Elanor Hensby was born
357
00:20:24,326 --> 00:20:27,673
on the 16th of September, 1945.
358
00:20:27,674 --> 00:20:31,436
Her parents were
Eunice and Albert
359
00:20:31,437 --> 00:20:35,234
and she had three sisters,
two older, one younger.
360
00:20:36,959 --> 00:20:39,478
According to her school
report, she was bright
361
00:20:39,479 --> 00:20:41,342
but not academic.
362
00:20:41,343 --> 00:20:45,761
She left school at age 14,
which was not that unusual then.
363
00:20:47,107 --> 00:20:50,213
And then went out to work,
which is what women did
364
00:20:50,214 --> 00:20:51,973
before they got married.
365
00:20:51,974 --> 00:20:55,770
First she trained to be a
hairdresser, but then she moved on
366
00:20:55,771 --> 00:20:57,635
and became a secretary.
367
00:20:58,809 --> 00:21:00,707
Sandra lived in
the flats near me,
368
00:21:01,915 --> 00:21:04,572
we were all teenagers
starting out on life
369
00:21:04,573 --> 00:21:05,987
and enjoying meeting people
370
00:21:05,988 --> 00:21:08,507
and looking forward
to, well, deciding
371
00:21:08,508 --> 00:21:10,717
what you're gonna do
the rest of your life.
372
00:21:12,132 --> 00:21:14,617
I took Sandra on one occasion
373
00:21:14,618 --> 00:21:17,689
to a dance in the
barracks next door to us
374
00:21:17,690 --> 00:21:19,691
where the army was.
375
00:21:19,692 --> 00:21:22,072
It was always very nice, danced
376
00:21:22,073 --> 00:21:23,972
and met all the people there.
377
00:21:25,042 --> 00:21:27,561
I was 20 when I met my husband,
378
00:21:27,562 --> 00:21:28,976
I was at a dance at the barracks
379
00:21:28,977 --> 00:21:32,048
and he got me to pull
out the raffle tickets
380
00:21:32,049 --> 00:21:33,360
and then he asked me out
381
00:21:33,361 --> 00:21:34,809
and then we went out
together for a while
382
00:21:34,810 --> 00:21:37,640
and then we decided to get
married and that was it.
383
00:21:37,641 --> 00:21:42,023
In 1963 when she was 17, 18,
384
00:21:42,024 --> 00:21:44,302
Sandra had mental health issues
385
00:21:44,303 --> 00:21:47,684
and she did spend a bit
of time in a hospital.
386
00:21:47,685 --> 00:21:50,377
That was after a
very bad breakup,
387
00:21:50,378 --> 00:21:51,930
which I suppose is possible.
388
00:21:51,931 --> 00:21:55,382
You know girls are very
susceptible at that age,
389
00:21:55,383 --> 00:21:59,144
but that seems to
have resolved itself.
390
00:21:59,145 --> 00:22:01,836
But it was significant
in another way
391
00:22:01,837 --> 00:22:06,220
in that she met a guy there
slightly older who was working
392
00:22:06,221 --> 00:22:08,429
as a builder at the hospital
393
00:22:08,430 --> 00:22:12,571
and they fell for each
other, young love,
394
00:22:12,572 --> 00:22:16,989
and when she was discharged,
395
00:22:16,990 --> 00:22:19,716
they carried on
seeing each other
396
00:22:19,717 --> 00:22:22,030
and announced their engagement.
397
00:22:23,169 --> 00:22:26,274
Very soon after
Sandra becomes pregnant
398
00:22:26,275 --> 00:22:28,794
and she wants to get
married to this guy
399
00:22:28,795 --> 00:22:32,971
and he gets cold feet
and starts to withdraw
400
00:22:32,972 --> 00:22:34,593
and tells her, "You know what,
401
00:22:34,594 --> 00:22:35,836
"I'm not gonna go
ahead with this."
402
00:22:35,837 --> 00:22:38,148
And this leaves
Sandra heartbroken
403
00:22:38,149 --> 00:22:42,256
and on top of that, she's
also pregnant at a time
404
00:22:42,257 --> 00:22:46,433
where single women pregnant,
405
00:22:46,434 --> 00:22:48,849
unable to look for support,
406
00:22:48,850 --> 00:22:50,885
would've left her
in a very isolated
407
00:22:50,886 --> 00:22:52,991
and tricky position.
408
00:22:52,992 --> 00:22:55,512
[sombre music]
409
00:22:56,513 --> 00:22:57,376
[laughs]
410
00:22:57,377 --> 00:22:59,378
Contraceptive options.
411
00:23:01,138 --> 00:23:04,036
Really the only way
412
00:23:04,037 --> 00:23:09,077
of not getting pregnant
was to not have sex.
413
00:23:09,664 --> 00:23:11,907
[sombre music]
414
00:23:13,599 --> 00:23:16,186
If girls had carried
anything like condoms
415
00:23:16,187 --> 00:23:20,052
in the 60s, they would've
been classed as loose women.
416
00:23:20,053 --> 00:23:23,263
It was a different world then
you had to be more aware.
417
00:23:25,887 --> 00:23:29,579
The contraceptive pill
is not legalised until 1961
418
00:23:29,580 --> 00:23:33,238
and it's certainly not
available to anyone initially.
419
00:23:33,239 --> 00:23:35,274
Wait for it, you
have to be married
420
00:23:35,275 --> 00:23:38,554
and with one child to get
the contraceptive pill
421
00:23:38,555 --> 00:23:39,832
in the early 1960s.
422
00:23:40,936 --> 00:23:45,112
Abortion wasn't
legal until 1967,
423
00:23:45,113 --> 00:23:46,907
she was either gonna
become a single mother
424
00:23:46,908 --> 00:23:49,703
or she would do what a
lot of young women did,
425
00:23:49,704 --> 00:23:51,774
which was give the
baby up for adoption
426
00:23:51,775 --> 00:23:54,225
and that is what
she prepared to do.
427
00:23:55,226 --> 00:23:56,813
But then her parents stepped in
428
00:23:56,814 --> 00:23:58,643
and said that they
would bring him up
429
00:23:58,644 --> 00:24:00,817
and the baby believed
430
00:24:00,818 --> 00:24:04,408
that Sandra was his older
sister, which was quite common.
431
00:24:08,136 --> 00:24:12,311
So moving on three
years, we are in 1967,
432
00:24:12,312 --> 00:24:17,352
Sandra was having a relationship
with a local estate agent
433
00:24:18,664 --> 00:24:20,285
and he was married so it
didn't have a lot of future,
434
00:24:20,286 --> 00:24:23,081
unluckily got pregnant again.
435
00:24:23,082 --> 00:24:25,773
So she went down to her
older sister Theresa,
436
00:24:25,774 --> 00:24:27,188
who lived in Portsmouth
437
00:24:27,189 --> 00:24:29,328
and this time she didn't
really have a lot of choice
438
00:24:29,329 --> 00:24:31,400
but to give the baby
up for adoption.
439
00:24:33,817 --> 00:24:35,196
That's quite
standard to move away
440
00:24:35,197 --> 00:24:37,267
when you're pregnant,
you don't wanna be seen,
441
00:24:37,268 --> 00:24:39,477
don't wanna bring the
family's name down
442
00:24:39,478 --> 00:24:44,067
and she gives birth when
she's dating the man
443
00:24:44,068 --> 00:24:46,898
who becomes her
husband, Roger Rivett.
444
00:24:46,899 --> 00:24:49,279
The baby, they don't
keep, for whatever reason,
445
00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:51,868
they decide they
can't manage the child
446
00:24:51,869 --> 00:24:54,009
who is subsequently
given up for adoption.
447
00:24:56,322 --> 00:24:57,840
When I was researching the book,
448
00:24:57,841 --> 00:25:00,844
I found the adoption
letter for the baby.
449
00:25:02,397 --> 00:25:05,331
I'm pleased to tell you we
have a baby son for you.
450
00:25:06,574 --> 00:25:08,471
[Tessa] He was born
on February the fourth
451
00:25:08,472 --> 00:25:11,543
and weighs seven
pounds, eight ounces.
452
00:25:11,544 --> 00:25:14,304
His mother is a
single girl, age 21.
453
00:25:14,305 --> 00:25:16,341
She already has one little boy
454
00:25:16,342 --> 00:25:19,344
who at the moment is being
cared for by her parents
455
00:25:19,345 --> 00:25:21,277
and she feels she
cannot possibly
456
00:25:21,278 --> 00:25:24,591
bring the baby up
properly herself.
457
00:25:24,592 --> 00:25:26,765
The baby's father
is a man she's known
458
00:25:26,766 --> 00:25:28,284
for quite a long time.
459
00:25:28,285 --> 00:25:31,287
Unfortunately while his wife
had a period in hospital,
460
00:25:31,288 --> 00:25:33,461
she visited his home on
a number of occasions
461
00:25:33,462 --> 00:25:34,946
to help in the house.
462
00:25:34,947 --> 00:25:37,708
Intercourse occurred
and she became pregnant.
463
00:25:38,985 --> 00:25:40,848
She did not want to
break his marriage,
464
00:25:40,849 --> 00:25:42,886
so came away from the area.
465
00:25:44,404 --> 00:25:46,820
God, that tells a
tale, doesn't it?
466
00:25:46,821 --> 00:25:49,477
[sombre music continues]
467
00:25:49,478 --> 00:25:51,549
I think it's pretty sad, really.
468
00:25:51,550 --> 00:25:53,102
She was very attractive
469
00:25:53,103 --> 00:25:56,623
and it sounds like she was quite
susceptible and she was 21.
470
00:25:56,624 --> 00:26:00,661
It's not very old and it sounds
like the bloke might have
471
00:26:00,662 --> 00:26:03,975
thought his lucky day had come
472
00:26:03,976 --> 00:26:05,633
when his wife was in hospital.
473
00:26:07,807 --> 00:26:12,604
Sandra had very few
life choices when it came
474
00:26:12,605 --> 00:26:14,779
to how she lived her life.
475
00:26:14,780 --> 00:26:17,195
But at the same
time, I get the sense
476
00:26:17,196 --> 00:26:21,855
that Sandra was a very carefree,
477
00:26:21,856 --> 00:26:23,650
energetic kind of human being.
478
00:26:23,651 --> 00:26:25,997
So she was almost ahead
of her time in the way
479
00:26:25,998 --> 00:26:27,586
that she was living.
480
00:26:28,725 --> 00:26:31,727
Her sister Teresa
subsequently says,
481
00:26:31,728 --> 00:26:34,108
"My sister said
she loved children
482
00:26:34,109 --> 00:26:36,110
:but she wasn't cut
out to have them."
483
00:26:36,111 --> 00:26:37,629
Theresa is trying
484
00:26:37,630 --> 00:26:41,633
to justify why her sister didn't
bring up her own children,
485
00:26:41,634 --> 00:26:43,186
but she doesn't need to
486
00:26:43,187 --> 00:26:45,361
because we know in
that decade, in the 60s
487
00:26:45,362 --> 00:26:48,882
and the 70s, the
majority of girls
488
00:26:48,883 --> 00:26:52,507
who had children out of
wedlock could not keep them.
489
00:26:55,579 --> 00:26:58,201
We were the highest year
490
00:26:58,202 --> 00:27:02,102
for adoption rates in
Britain in the 60s.
491
00:27:02,103 --> 00:27:03,931
1968,
492
00:27:03,932 --> 00:27:08,108
24,000 babies adopted.
493
00:27:08,109 --> 00:27:12,284
That is how many girls
were trying their luck.
494
00:27:12,285 --> 00:27:16,737
Didn't know how to say no, fell
the wrong side of the gamble
495
00:27:16,738 --> 00:27:19,326
and had a baby that
was illegitimate.
496
00:27:19,327 --> 00:27:22,294
[babies crying]
497
00:27:22,295 --> 00:27:25,781
She married Roger
Rivett when she was 22.
498
00:27:25,782 --> 00:27:29,129
They got married in a
registry office in Croydon.
499
00:27:29,130 --> 00:27:31,441
He was away at sea
a lot of the time.
500
00:27:31,442 --> 00:27:33,512
Apparently he got
suspicious when she used
501
00:27:33,513 --> 00:27:35,722
to write regularly and then
the letters became a bit
502
00:27:35,723 --> 00:27:37,344
less frequent.
503
00:27:37,345 --> 00:27:38,759
He's in the Navy.
504
00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:40,588
I mean she's quite lonely
I think when he's away,
505
00:27:40,589 --> 00:27:42,211
but she's always working.
506
00:27:42,212 --> 00:27:45,248
In 1969, Roger
came back to England.
507
00:27:45,249 --> 00:27:49,183
I think the marriage
probably got back on track.
508
00:27:49,184 --> 00:27:51,876
Sandra was actually
working at an orphanage.
509
00:27:51,877 --> 00:27:53,394
She started as a cleaner,
510
00:27:53,395 --> 00:27:55,880
but I think she
got more involved
511
00:27:55,881 --> 00:27:58,089
with working with the children.
512
00:27:58,090 --> 00:28:01,506
But then we go to 1973
513
00:28:01,507 --> 00:28:04,474
and Roger went
back to sea again.
514
00:28:04,475 --> 00:28:08,237
We had that pattern of letters
becoming less frequent.
515
00:28:08,238 --> 00:28:11,240
And then the final,
the sort of climax
516
00:28:11,241 --> 00:28:13,932
came in May of 1974.
517
00:28:13,933 --> 00:28:16,555
They had a huge row and he left.
518
00:28:16,556 --> 00:28:17,488
That was the end.
519
00:28:18,697 --> 00:28:20,007
We know that when the
marriage breaks down,
520
00:28:20,008 --> 00:28:21,768
she moves up to London.
521
00:28:21,769 --> 00:28:24,219
[sombre music continues]
522
00:28:25,496 --> 00:28:27,877
She seemed to experience
a new lease of life
523
00:28:27,878 --> 00:28:30,362
after separating from
Roger, she was going out,
524
00:28:30,363 --> 00:28:32,951
she was engaging with friends,
she was having a good time
525
00:28:32,952 --> 00:28:36,783
and she puts her name
down for domestic service.
526
00:28:36,784 --> 00:28:40,131
She has one job that's
fairly short-lived
527
00:28:40,132 --> 00:28:43,031
and then her next job
is with the Lucans.
528
00:28:43,998 --> 00:28:46,759
[suspenseful music]
529
00:28:50,107 --> 00:28:54,007
That was sort of paralleled
almost by the dislocation
530
00:28:54,008 --> 00:28:57,493
and breakdown of
Veronica's marriage
531
00:28:57,494 --> 00:29:00,151
and I think that's one of
the reasons why the girls,
532
00:29:00,152 --> 00:29:01,669
the women hit it off.
533
00:29:01,670 --> 00:29:03,775
And actually Veronica says
herself, these were happy times.
534
00:29:03,776 --> 00:29:05,226
They laughed a lot together.
535
00:29:06,641 --> 00:29:10,126
She was employed to be a
nanny to the three children
536
00:29:10,127 --> 00:29:14,199
of the Lucan marriage,
Francis, George and Camilla.
537
00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:17,030
The wage was 25 pounds a week,
538
00:29:17,031 --> 00:29:20,171
which even in modern
money isn't very much,
539
00:29:20,172 --> 00:29:21,862
but of course she
had accommodation.
540
00:29:21,863 --> 00:29:26,004
She was living in a
house in Belgravia,
541
00:29:26,005 --> 00:29:29,249
a really very lovely house.
542
00:29:29,250 --> 00:29:33,426
She hadn't even unpacked all
her things when she died.
543
00:29:35,014 --> 00:29:37,568
[tense music]
544
00:29:48,752 --> 00:29:51,650
Veronica was a fairly
challenging employer,
545
00:29:51,651 --> 00:29:55,102
but nonetheless Sandra
knows how to please people,
546
00:29:55,103 --> 00:29:57,795
it's one of the things that
makes Sandra so appealing,
547
00:29:57,796 --> 00:29:59,313
so attractive.
548
00:29:59,314 --> 00:30:03,215
She was one of a long
procession of nannies.
549
00:30:05,355 --> 00:30:08,046
There was one that
only lasted four days.
550
00:30:08,047 --> 00:30:10,083
There was one that
lasted a bit longer.
551
00:30:10,084 --> 00:30:14,639
There were 6, 7, 8, I
don't know, it's not clear.
552
00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:17,091
But anyway, she arrived
553
00:30:18,333 --> 00:30:20,853
and it seems to
have been a success.
554
00:30:24,443 --> 00:30:26,064
Both Sandra
555
00:30:26,065 --> 00:30:31,070
and Veronica in their own lives
had psychological struggles.
556
00:30:32,209 --> 00:30:34,348
They'd had real challenges
and difficulties
557
00:30:34,349 --> 00:30:37,075
and they were trying
558
00:30:37,076 --> 00:30:39,975
to find their way
in their own lives
559
00:30:39,976 --> 00:30:43,150
and this is the point at
which they come together under
560
00:30:43,151 --> 00:30:48,122
Veronica's roof and they
make sense to one another.
561
00:30:50,469 --> 00:30:51,849
What's interesting is noting
562
00:30:51,850 --> 00:30:53,920
how Sandra checked in
on Veronica when she
563
00:30:53,921 --> 00:30:55,266
wasn't working the weekends.
564
00:30:55,267 --> 00:30:58,856
She picked up on her
employer's vulnerability
565
00:30:58,857 --> 00:31:02,790
and Veronica felt able to share
566
00:31:02,791 --> 00:31:04,309
that vulnerability with Sandra.
567
00:31:04,310 --> 00:31:06,208
There was a kinship.
568
00:31:06,209 --> 00:31:09,452
There clearly was a
feeling of mutual sympathy.
569
00:31:09,453 --> 00:31:12,629
They understood each
other's circumstances.
570
00:31:15,632 --> 00:31:19,083
[bright music]
571
00:31:19,084 --> 00:31:21,844
Veronica Duncan as she was,
572
00:31:21,845 --> 00:31:24,330
was born in 1937.
573
00:31:25,435 --> 00:31:28,368
She had a younger
sister, Christina
574
00:31:28,369 --> 00:31:31,371
and her father was
an army officer
575
00:31:31,372 --> 00:31:33,373
who was killed when
she was quite young.
576
00:31:33,374 --> 00:31:36,445
He was killed in a car crash,
but her mother married again
577
00:31:36,446 --> 00:31:40,311
and they spent some of their
childhood in South Africa.
578
00:31:40,312 --> 00:31:44,004
Her and her sister Christina
are sent to boarding school
579
00:31:44,005 --> 00:31:47,387
and I think this is
incredibly difficult
580
00:31:47,388 --> 00:31:49,803
for the very young Veronica.
581
00:31:49,804 --> 00:31:53,048
Her and her sister are bullied
for a number of reasons,
582
00:31:53,049 --> 00:31:57,397
which makes life for Veronica
incredibly difficult.
583
00:31:57,398 --> 00:32:01,090
And I think her mother
struggles with what to do,
584
00:32:01,091 --> 00:32:05,370
sends Veronica to a psychiatrist
585
00:32:05,371 --> 00:32:09,478
who labels her, a troubled child
586
00:32:09,479 --> 00:32:13,828
and I think that's where
some of her issues begin.
587
00:32:15,864 --> 00:32:19,143
The family left
South Africa in 1949.
588
00:32:19,144 --> 00:32:21,179
They came back and
they lived quite near
589
00:32:21,180 --> 00:32:24,010
where Sandra was
born in Basingstoke.
590
00:32:24,011 --> 00:32:28,186
The stepfather ran a pub
called the Wheatsheaf.
591
00:32:28,187 --> 00:32:30,844
I can remember one of
the policemen talking
592
00:32:30,845 --> 00:32:31,914
to me about Veronica
593
00:32:31,915 --> 00:32:33,709
and he said, she always said,
594
00:32:33,710 --> 00:32:36,091
"I am a Countess of the realm."
595
00:32:36,092 --> 00:32:39,128
And he said she
grew up in a pub,
596
00:32:39,129 --> 00:32:40,336
but they were the daughters
597
00:32:40,337 --> 00:32:42,407
of an army officer
and what have you.
598
00:32:42,408 --> 00:32:46,033
She was very status aware,
Veronica, no question.
599
00:32:47,137 --> 00:32:49,173
Veronica got
herself up to London.
600
00:32:49,174 --> 00:32:51,106
She tried her hand
at various jobs.
601
00:32:51,107 --> 00:32:52,039
She wasn't a sticker.
602
00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:53,246
She left art college.
603
00:32:53,247 --> 00:32:54,213
She couldn't really
bear the idea
604
00:32:54,214 --> 00:32:56,249
of doing four years on a course.
605
00:32:56,250 --> 00:32:57,836
Now that again
doesn't surprise me.
606
00:32:57,837 --> 00:32:59,735
Nobody had long-term
really invested in her
607
00:32:59,736 --> 00:33:00,908
or spent time with her.
608
00:33:00,909 --> 00:33:02,117
She'd never lived
or been settled in
609
00:33:02,118 --> 00:33:03,498
one place for that long.
610
00:33:04,879 --> 00:33:07,398
By now, Veronica is 25
611
00:33:07,399 --> 00:33:10,159
and very hard for
us to understand.
612
00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:12,644
But that was then
getting to the point
613
00:33:12,645 --> 00:33:14,129
of why aren't you married?
614
00:33:14,130 --> 00:33:17,512
You know the shelf,
the dreaded shelf,
615
00:33:19,031 --> 00:33:22,033
I suppose the shelf
was when you were 30,
616
00:33:22,034 --> 00:33:25,830
but 25 is, you know,
the shelf is visible.
617
00:33:25,831 --> 00:33:27,418
One of the things
that was said was
618
00:33:27,419 --> 00:33:30,973
that Veronica had a complex
about being very, very small.
619
00:33:30,974 --> 00:33:32,112
She was, she was tiny.
620
00:33:32,113 --> 00:33:34,977
She was like a
China doll almost.
621
00:33:34,978 --> 00:33:39,569
And she thought that being small
was a sign of bad breeding.
622
00:33:40,673 --> 00:33:43,261
Veronica absolutely felt single.
623
00:33:43,262 --> 00:33:46,230
She tells us later in
her memoir, she admits,
624
00:33:46,231 --> 00:33:48,715
she says herself, "I cannot
stress the importance
625
00:33:48,716 --> 00:33:51,029
"of getting married for
my generation of women."
626
00:33:53,134 --> 00:33:54,893
Of course, a situation
for her, compounded
627
00:33:54,894 --> 00:33:56,895
by the fact her younger sister,
628
00:33:56,896 --> 00:34:00,692
she had a successful marriage
into the Shand Kydd dynasty
629
00:34:00,693 --> 00:34:02,177
and all the trappings of wealth
630
00:34:02,178 --> 00:34:04,282
and prestige that came with it.
631
00:34:04,283 --> 00:34:06,353
Poor old Veronica
wasn't quite so lucky.
632
00:34:06,354 --> 00:34:09,046
Christina married
Bill Shand Kydd
633
00:34:09,047 --> 00:34:11,393
who was very
connected, connections
634
00:34:11,394 --> 00:34:14,775
to the late Princess
of Wales, Diana.
635
00:34:14,776 --> 00:34:16,122
A rich man,
636
00:34:16,123 --> 00:34:20,126
but that put Veronica
in an orbit if you like,
637
00:34:20,127 --> 00:34:22,473
because she could visit
Bill and Christina
638
00:34:22,474 --> 00:34:25,062
and there would've
been Bill's friends.
639
00:34:25,063 --> 00:34:28,652
[tense music]
640
00:34:30,896 --> 00:34:34,623
One of Bill Shand
Kydd's friends was
641
00:34:34,624 --> 00:34:38,248
the then John Bingham who
would become Lord Lucan.
642
00:34:43,046 --> 00:34:46,186
John Bingham was beyond
her wildest dreams.
643
00:34:46,187 --> 00:34:48,913
She would've thought
he was a god.
644
00:34:48,914 --> 00:34:52,572
He was regarded as
extremely good looking.
645
00:34:52,573 --> 00:34:55,678
I mean, he was asked to
test for films and so on.
646
00:34:55,679 --> 00:34:57,715
He was a catch, no question.
647
00:34:57,716 --> 00:35:00,959
And possibly she may have
thought a better catch
648
00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:04,171
than Bill Shand Kydd, which I
think she might have enjoyed.
649
00:35:06,552 --> 00:35:11,038
Lucan was considered
as a possible James Bond.
650
00:35:11,039 --> 00:35:14,801
I mean, he was a handsome
man, he was very sporty.
651
00:35:14,802 --> 00:35:18,564
He raced powerboats and
he was really good at it.
652
00:35:20,877 --> 00:35:24,707
When you look at it, if I was
producing a James Bond movie
653
00:35:24,708 --> 00:35:26,537
and I needed a character,
654
00:35:26,538 --> 00:35:31,577
then a powerboat racing,
handsome, bobsleigh skiing,
655
00:35:32,820 --> 00:35:35,857
gambling aristocrat is
a pretty good choice.
656
00:35:36,858 --> 00:35:38,481
He would've been
a good James Bond.
657
00:35:40,621 --> 00:35:43,070
It always reminds
me a little bit
658
00:35:43,071 --> 00:35:47,144
of when Diana met Prince
Charles, you know,
659
00:35:47,145 --> 00:35:49,905
and they seemed to
understand each other
660
00:35:49,906 --> 00:35:54,841
and he may have thought
this sweet young girl will
661
00:35:54,842 --> 00:35:57,292
be a nice docile wife.
662
00:35:57,293 --> 00:35:59,535
And she seemed to understand him
663
00:35:59,536 --> 00:36:02,020
and Lucan said to her,
you know, "I'm a gambler.
664
00:36:02,021 --> 00:36:03,781
I'm gonna, this is
my way of life."
665
00:36:03,782 --> 00:36:05,369
And she said to him,
"Oh no, that's fine.
666
00:36:05,370 --> 00:36:06,922
"That doesn't matter at all."
667
00:36:06,923 --> 00:36:10,443
[gentle piano music]
668
00:36:10,444 --> 00:36:13,963
Lord Lucan operated
in a clandestine world,
669
00:36:13,964 --> 00:36:16,483
the Clermont Club, this
is a gambling fraternity.
670
00:36:16,484 --> 00:36:20,556
They're operating without
the standard norms of society
671
00:36:20,557 --> 00:36:23,180
and they are very
much a boys club.
672
00:36:23,181 --> 00:36:27,460
In an old school world
where class, status, wealth
673
00:36:27,461 --> 00:36:29,703
and title really
meant something,
674
00:36:29,704 --> 00:36:32,569
[gentle piano music continues]
675
00:36:33,984 --> 00:36:37,539
By the time that they are
married, it becomes clear
676
00:36:37,540 --> 00:36:41,163
that Lord Lucan's friends
don't really think that much
677
00:36:41,164 --> 00:36:42,785
of Veronica.
678
00:36:42,786 --> 00:36:44,960
She's not one of their set.
679
00:36:44,961 --> 00:36:47,894
And I think this message
is reinforced when she goes
680
00:36:47,895 --> 00:36:51,587
to the Clermont Club
where she is made
681
00:36:51,588 --> 00:36:53,486
to sit on the widow's bench
682
00:36:53,487 --> 00:36:57,662
and he is at the
centre gambling,
683
00:36:57,663 --> 00:37:01,701
doing whatever he wants
to do as the man's man.
684
00:37:01,702 --> 00:37:05,567
[dramatic music]
685
00:37:05,568 --> 00:37:10,468
Lord Lucan was living in
a quite a misogynistic time
686
00:37:10,469 --> 00:37:12,401
in history.
687
00:37:12,402 --> 00:37:15,267
He certainly thought he
was superior to women.
688
00:37:16,441 --> 00:37:20,513
He recognised that
Veronica was actually
689
00:37:20,514 --> 00:37:24,758
quite an intelligent,
witty, quick woman,
690
00:37:24,759 --> 00:37:26,382
and he said to her,
691
00:37:27,590 --> 00:37:29,625
there can only be one
captain of the ship.
692
00:37:29,626 --> 00:37:32,904
That's like,
"Whatever I say goes,
693
00:37:32,905 --> 00:37:34,768
"it doesn't matter if
you think you know better
694
00:37:34,769 --> 00:37:37,219
"or even if you
actually do know better.
695
00:37:37,220 --> 00:37:39,222
"I'm the captain of this ship."
696
00:37:41,328 --> 00:37:45,227
He started to
undermine Veronica,
697
00:37:45,228 --> 00:37:47,367
and one of the ways
that he started
698
00:37:47,368 --> 00:37:50,957
to undermine Veronica was to
question her mental health,
699
00:37:50,958 --> 00:37:53,408
her emotional stability.
700
00:37:53,409 --> 00:37:57,170
And this was something
that got a lot worse
701
00:37:57,171 --> 00:37:58,448
and worse over time.
702
00:37:59,380 --> 00:38:01,001
The Lucans had three children.
703
00:38:01,002 --> 00:38:04,729
Francis was born
in 1964, George,
704
00:38:04,730 --> 00:38:07,801
so the heir, was born in 1967
705
00:38:07,802 --> 00:38:10,218
and Camilla was born in 1970
706
00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:15,983
and there were questions
of postnatal depression.
707
00:38:18,606 --> 00:38:21,712
Veronica was known to rock back
708
00:38:21,713 --> 00:38:25,474
and forth from a very early age,
709
00:38:25,475 --> 00:38:29,340
and she was seen doing
this in the Clermont Club,
710
00:38:29,341 --> 00:38:32,550
and I think that
might have been a way
711
00:38:32,551 --> 00:38:36,485
of self-soothing whatever
she was experiencing,
712
00:38:36,486 --> 00:38:38,763
and I think it's just
one of those behaviours
713
00:38:38,764 --> 00:38:42,767
that she found helpful without
consciously being aware that
714
00:38:42,768 --> 00:38:44,044
that's what she was doing.
715
00:38:44,045 --> 00:38:46,738
It was something almost
very primal to her.
716
00:38:48,740 --> 00:38:51,466
There were two
incidents in 1972.
717
00:38:51,467 --> 00:38:54,296
One was that the Lucans
were at the Clermont Club
718
00:38:54,297 --> 00:38:57,575
and Veronica threw a glass
of wine in a woman's face,
719
00:38:57,576 --> 00:39:01,166
which was like a thunderbolt.
720
00:39:03,375 --> 00:39:05,169
People had been sort of more
721
00:39:05,170 --> 00:39:08,586
and more saying, "Oh,
she's a nightmare."
722
00:39:08,587 --> 00:39:10,657
Which you can
interpret as you wish,
723
00:39:10,658 --> 00:39:12,003
but the fact is she
did throw a glass
724
00:39:12,004 --> 00:39:13,591
of wine in someone's face.
725
00:39:13,592 --> 00:39:16,594
You might be sympathetic to
her for doing it, but she did.
726
00:39:16,595 --> 00:39:21,012
And then the second thing was
that she sacked this nanny,
727
00:39:21,013 --> 00:39:23,014
the long-term nanny,
728
00:39:23,015 --> 00:39:25,672
and that seems to have been
the last straw for Lucan.
729
00:39:25,673 --> 00:39:29,643
[sombre music]
730
00:39:32,266 --> 00:39:34,060
The family was
clearly in crisis.
731
00:39:34,061 --> 00:39:35,958
He moves out of
the marital home.
732
00:39:35,959 --> 00:39:39,583
Clermont Club is sold, his
gambling's out of control.
733
00:39:39,584 --> 00:39:41,861
He's having to spend a lot
of money claiming custody or
734
00:39:41,862 --> 00:39:43,863
otherwise of his children.
735
00:39:43,864 --> 00:39:46,762
Building up to the
main custody battle.
736
00:39:46,763 --> 00:39:50,145
She has to prove that she's
mentally capable of looking
737
00:39:50,146 --> 00:39:52,561
after those children, of
being the primary parent.
738
00:39:52,562 --> 00:39:55,909
So she checks herself into
the priory and is assessed.
739
00:39:55,910 --> 00:39:57,635
She had a guy
from the priory come
740
00:39:57,636 --> 00:39:59,672
and say that she was
completely cured.
741
00:39:59,673 --> 00:40:01,156
As long as she kept
taking the right drugs,
742
00:40:01,157 --> 00:40:02,434
she was completely cured.
743
00:40:05,023 --> 00:40:07,265
She won the hearing and
all the things she'd said
744
00:40:07,266 --> 00:40:10,027
about Lucan which were meant
to be kept under wraps,
745
00:40:10,028 --> 00:40:11,546
all came out.
746
00:40:11,547 --> 00:40:13,996
You know all these things
about his sexual deviancy
747
00:40:13,997 --> 00:40:16,309
and his general violence,
748
00:40:16,310 --> 00:40:19,174
general ghastliness,
all this came out.
749
00:40:19,175 --> 00:40:22,384
[sombre music continues]
750
00:40:22,385 --> 00:40:27,182
Veronica is told she has to
have a nanny to help her look
751
00:40:27,183 --> 00:40:28,839
after the children full time.
752
00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:31,152
And this is hugely problematic.
753
00:40:33,879 --> 00:40:37,951
Sandra, she'd had
quite a few predecessors
754
00:40:37,952 --> 00:40:40,783
over the previous year or so.
755
00:40:42,681 --> 00:40:44,648
My name is Pierrete Goletto.
756
00:40:44,649 --> 00:40:47,858
I am French by birth
757
00:40:47,859 --> 00:40:51,482
and Italian by both my parents.
758
00:40:51,483 --> 00:40:54,451
I live with the Lucan
family for a long time
759
00:40:54,452 --> 00:40:56,487
of I think over a year,
760
00:40:56,488 --> 00:40:58,834
and I look after the
three little children.
761
00:40:58,835 --> 00:41:01,527
[gentle piano music]
762
00:41:01,528 --> 00:41:05,979
In 1974, I saw an advert of
763
00:41:05,980 --> 00:41:09,880
an agency looking for nannies.
764
00:41:09,881 --> 00:41:13,712
I was told that the nanny
before me lasted for a few days.
765
00:41:14,886 --> 00:41:17,301
I have to go to a
lawyer to be accepted.
766
00:41:17,302 --> 00:41:20,442
The lawyer, and I
remember his question,
767
00:41:20,443 --> 00:41:23,997
"Will you stay if they have
trouble in the family?"
768
00:41:23,998 --> 00:41:25,896
I say, "I am here to
protect the children,
769
00:41:25,897 --> 00:41:27,967
"to take them away from it.
770
00:41:27,968 --> 00:41:28,968
"That's all."
771
00:41:28,969 --> 00:41:30,348
And then he said to me,
772
00:41:30,349 --> 00:41:33,732
"Right, you got the job.
You can start. Great."
773
00:41:34,940 --> 00:41:36,907
I really loved the children.
774
00:41:36,908 --> 00:41:38,219
Really, really.
775
00:41:39,393 --> 00:41:41,705
Camilla was about
two and a half.
776
00:41:41,706 --> 00:41:44,466
George was about five.
777
00:41:44,467 --> 00:41:45,916
Francis was the biggest one.
778
00:41:45,917 --> 00:41:47,504
She was about seven.
779
00:41:47,505 --> 00:41:49,022
We get up in the morning,
780
00:41:49,023 --> 00:41:51,922
I bring the food up in the
nursery, we eat up there.
781
00:41:51,923 --> 00:41:53,475
We have a lot of fun.
782
00:41:53,476 --> 00:41:56,996
We read the story,
get ready, take
783
00:41:56,997 --> 00:42:00,240
Francisca to the school,
George would stay with me,
784
00:42:00,241 --> 00:42:02,760
then I cook the supper.
785
00:42:02,761 --> 00:42:06,281
This was seven days a week,
but on Sunday it was fun
786
00:42:06,282 --> 00:42:08,008
because we could go to the park.
787
00:42:10,079 --> 00:42:12,633
[tense music]
788
00:42:19,191 --> 00:42:22,608
This isn't a standard nannying
situation, bearing in mind
789
00:42:22,609 --> 00:42:27,061
that it's not normal to be
fighting the custody of children.
790
00:42:29,098 --> 00:42:32,514
Divorce isn't commonplace
in the early 1970s,
791
00:42:32,515 --> 00:42:36,173
so the situation is unusual.
792
00:42:36,174 --> 00:42:37,968
It's highly charged
793
00:42:37,969 --> 00:42:41,938
and I would think challenging,
emotionally challenging.
794
00:42:44,354 --> 00:42:47,667
I remember clearly my first
meeting with Lady Lucan,
795
00:42:47,668 --> 00:42:49,220
with Veronica.
796
00:42:49,221 --> 00:42:52,361
I was lying on the floor,
playing with the children.
797
00:42:52,362 --> 00:42:55,572
She said to me, "Is this
the way you do in France?"
798
00:42:55,573 --> 00:42:58,954
I said, "This this the
way the children like it."
799
00:42:58,955 --> 00:43:00,370
And she just walk away.
800
00:43:02,752 --> 00:43:06,237
The children didn't see their
mother sometime for weeks,
801
00:43:06,238 --> 00:43:09,447
and when I was seeing her
dancing around the table
802
00:43:09,448 --> 00:43:13,175
with a bottle of vodka,
803
00:43:13,176 --> 00:43:15,385
I knew it wasn't the
time to talk to her.
804
00:43:17,284 --> 00:43:19,699
What one did here repeatedly was
805
00:43:19,700 --> 00:43:21,701
that Lucan was a
very hands-on father,
806
00:43:21,702 --> 00:43:24,911
unusually so for, you
might say, the time,
807
00:43:24,912 --> 00:43:26,120
the class, whatever,
808
00:43:28,536 --> 00:43:31,055
he was a very
affectionate father.
809
00:43:31,056 --> 00:43:34,541
I remember speaking to a
nanny of the children of one
810
00:43:34,542 --> 00:43:37,406
of his friends and she
said he was the only one
811
00:43:37,407 --> 00:43:39,926
who came into the nursery.
812
00:43:39,927 --> 00:43:42,654
[gentle music]
813
00:43:43,724 --> 00:43:45,449
He was living down the road.
814
00:43:45,450 --> 00:43:48,797
I think it was Elizabeth
Street if I remember rightly,
815
00:43:48,798 --> 00:43:51,317
because sometime I was in
the dining room downstairs
816
00:43:51,318 --> 00:43:54,182
studying when he was
coming at two o'clock,
817
00:43:54,183 --> 00:43:55,562
three o'clock in the afternoon
818
00:43:55,563 --> 00:43:57,462
before I go to pick
up the children.
819
00:43:58,774 --> 00:44:02,639
I could hear them arguing,
arguing about money,
820
00:44:02,640 --> 00:44:07,436
arguing about gambling,
arguing about wasting money,
821
00:44:07,437 --> 00:44:09,405
arguing about the children.
822
00:44:10,613 --> 00:44:13,857
"I am going to prevent
you to see George."
823
00:44:13,858 --> 00:44:18,862
And that was the biggest
threat Lord Lucan can have
824
00:44:18,863 --> 00:44:22,798
because one thing is sure,
he love his children.
825
00:44:27,250 --> 00:44:31,806
Just outside Belgrave Street
is a little kind of park
826
00:44:31,807 --> 00:44:35,637
and I was going there
and I know he was passing
827
00:44:35,638 --> 00:44:39,503
and taking photos
of the children.
828
00:44:39,504 --> 00:44:41,194
He did two things
with the nannies.
829
00:44:41,195 --> 00:44:42,748
He had them followed
830
00:44:42,749 --> 00:44:46,613
and he also did his best to
tape record their conversations.
831
00:44:46,614 --> 00:44:50,307
So he had a private
investigation company
832
00:44:50,308 --> 00:44:51,618
that was working for him.
833
00:44:51,619 --> 00:44:54,345
At times, they had two
different operatives
834
00:44:54,346 --> 00:44:56,934
who would follow the
nannies when the children
835
00:44:56,935 --> 00:44:59,006
left the house and
follow Lady Lucan.
836
00:45:00,801 --> 00:45:04,977
It was a concerted bit of
espionage that was going on.
837
00:45:04,978 --> 00:45:07,738
The most startling
behaviour for me
838
00:45:07,739 --> 00:45:12,294
that I saw in this case was
the stalking that happened
839
00:45:12,295 --> 00:45:14,503
after they had separated
840
00:45:14,504 --> 00:45:16,609
and it probably wouldn't have
been called stalking back in
841
00:45:16,610 --> 00:45:20,509
the 70s, but what he was
doing was actually stalking.
842
00:45:20,510 --> 00:45:24,582
He was parking up
outside Veronica's house
843
00:45:24,583 --> 00:45:27,758
and he would sit there
for hour upon hour
844
00:45:27,759 --> 00:45:30,381
staring at the house.
845
00:45:30,382 --> 00:45:34,523
One of the nannies
reported that there were 22
846
00:45:34,524 --> 00:45:38,459
heavy breathing phone calls
to the house in just one hour,
847
00:45:39,806 --> 00:45:43,670
leaving either silent
messages or heavy breathing.
848
00:45:43,671 --> 00:45:46,364
[tense music]
849
00:45:47,710 --> 00:45:49,780
Now that is to
frighten somebody.
850
00:45:49,781 --> 00:45:51,817
This man is actually wanting
851
00:45:51,818 --> 00:45:54,889
to dominate Veronica's life.
852
00:45:54,890 --> 00:45:57,720
"I'm still here. I'm
not going anywhere."
853
00:45:59,101 --> 00:46:01,241
He would tape a call to Veronica
854
00:46:02,552 --> 00:46:05,692
and he would start off
talking reasonably to her,
855
00:46:05,693 --> 00:46:09,317
and then he would slowly provoke
her into losing her temper
856
00:46:09,318 --> 00:46:13,079
on the telephone and starting
to rant and rave at him.
857
00:46:13,080 --> 00:46:14,943
And only when she was ranting
858
00:46:14,944 --> 00:46:18,464
and raving, he would then turn
on his tape recorder when he
859
00:46:18,465 --> 00:46:23,296
realised that nothing was gonna
work to get those kids back
860
00:46:23,297 --> 00:46:27,197
other than removing
Veronica from the scene,
861
00:46:27,198 --> 00:46:30,787
he abandoned all the sort
of the nanny shenanigans,
862
00:46:30,788 --> 00:46:34,411
if you like, and just
began concentrating on
863
00:46:34,412 --> 00:46:37,034
how do you kill your wife
and get away with it.
864
00:46:37,035 --> 00:46:39,968
[suspenseful music]
865
00:46:39,969 --> 00:46:43,903
I think one marry
the other one for money
866
00:46:43,904 --> 00:46:46,837
and one marry the
other one for a title.
867
00:46:46,838 --> 00:46:51,359
Veronica was very, very attached
of her title of the lady.
868
00:46:51,360 --> 00:46:54,432
I don't think he has
any sign of violence.
869
00:46:55,743 --> 00:47:00,162
Lot of sadness, lot of
hunger yes, but violence.
870
00:47:01,335 --> 00:47:03,336
This wasn't a term
that we used for him.
871
00:47:03,337 --> 00:47:04,235
No.
872
00:47:06,271 --> 00:47:08,031
And one thing is sure,
873
00:47:08,032 --> 00:47:11,275
when he was telling hello to
me, he was not telling hello,
874
00:47:11,276 --> 00:47:13,519
like if I was a dog,
he was looking at me.
875
00:47:13,520 --> 00:47:16,142
He was looking and
saying, good afternoon.
876
00:47:16,143 --> 00:47:18,249
Thank you for looking
after the children.
877
00:47:19,422 --> 00:47:22,148
Any behavioural issues
that Veronica displayed.
878
00:47:22,149 --> 00:47:24,875
The police theory was that
they were Lucan's fault.
879
00:47:24,876 --> 00:47:29,673
They said that Lord Lucan had
been trying to send her mad
880
00:47:29,674 --> 00:47:31,571
or convince her
that she was mad.
881
00:47:31,572 --> 00:47:35,023
She said to them, "He used to
take me off to psychiatrists."
882
00:47:35,024 --> 00:47:36,991
There was pretty strong evidence
883
00:47:36,992 --> 00:47:39,063
that the children
shouldn't be with her.
884
00:47:42,514 --> 00:47:45,654
He had concerns about
her as early as 1967
885
00:47:45,655 --> 00:47:48,623
and he didn't even leave
the marriage until 1973.
886
00:47:48,624 --> 00:47:51,695
So that means he was
playing a very long game,
887
00:47:51,696 --> 00:47:54,767
which frankly he
wasn't capable of.
888
00:47:54,768 --> 00:47:56,217
And it's ridiculous.
889
00:47:56,218 --> 00:47:59,151
He just wasn't that imaginative.
890
00:47:59,152 --> 00:48:01,808
He just wasn't.
891
00:48:01,809 --> 00:48:05,985
There are conflicting
descriptions of what Lord Lucan
892
00:48:05,986 --> 00:48:07,642
was like as a person.
893
00:48:07,643 --> 00:48:10,817
Some people describe
him as very charming
894
00:48:10,818 --> 00:48:15,339
and very charismatic
and friendly and nice.
895
00:48:15,340 --> 00:48:19,448
Other people say that that
mask slipped quite a lot.
896
00:48:21,139 --> 00:48:25,315
One of the things that we know
about controlling people is
897
00:48:25,316 --> 00:48:27,938
that they are very,
very manipulative.
898
00:48:27,939 --> 00:48:31,873
So they will learn as
they go through life.
899
00:48:31,874 --> 00:48:36,153
What works, what gives
me the most control?
900
00:48:36,154 --> 00:48:39,846
Most of this charm would've
been used on people
901
00:48:39,847 --> 00:48:41,470
who could be useful to him.
902
00:48:42,954 --> 00:48:45,438
His motivations to get rid
903
00:48:45,439 --> 00:48:48,235
of Veronica were
very, very strong.
904
00:48:50,203 --> 00:48:54,275
Veronica was, in his
eyes, ruining his life.
905
00:48:54,276 --> 00:48:58,693
And it wasn't only that she
had won custody of the children
906
00:48:58,694 --> 00:49:02,076
in the most embarrassing
way possible for him.
907
00:49:02,077 --> 00:49:07,082
It was also that she was
living in the Lucan Trust's
908
00:49:08,566 --> 00:49:11,775
Belgravia mansion, while Lucan
was living around the corner
909
00:49:11,776 --> 00:49:13,811
in a little two bed flat
910
00:49:13,812 --> 00:49:18,678
and she was spending money at
Harrod's like it was water.
911
00:49:18,679 --> 00:49:22,130
No court was going to let
him sell their family home
912
00:49:22,131 --> 00:49:24,098
so he couldn't access
any of the money
913
00:49:24,099 --> 00:49:25,927
that he had locked up there.
914
00:49:25,928 --> 00:49:27,584
He was like many aristocrats.
915
00:49:27,585 --> 00:49:30,588
He was asset rich and cash poor.
916
00:49:32,900 --> 00:49:36,317
Divorcing her, which he almost
certainly would've wanted
917
00:49:36,318 --> 00:49:39,320
to do, would possibly
have made the situation
918
00:49:39,321 --> 00:49:40,978
even worse for him.
919
00:49:45,913 --> 00:49:48,570
I think it was about the
end of September, I was told
920
00:49:48,571 --> 00:49:52,678
by the lady from the Au Pair
agency I wasn't needed anymore
921
00:49:52,679 --> 00:49:55,646
and they needed somebody
922
00:49:55,647 --> 00:49:57,545
English to replace me.
923
00:49:57,546 --> 00:49:58,443
I have to go.
924
00:49:59,582 --> 00:50:02,032
And then I did my,
they were at school.
925
00:50:02,033 --> 00:50:03,931
I put my thing and I went.
926
00:50:05,347 --> 00:50:09,177
Sandra was with an
agency in Belgravia
927
00:50:09,178 --> 00:50:14,183
and her next job was at
46 Lower Belgrave Street.
928
00:50:15,978 --> 00:50:18,566
I know almost
nothing about Sandra.
929
00:50:18,567 --> 00:50:22,052
I met Sandra once because
I forgot some books
930
00:50:22,053 --> 00:50:25,262
and I rung up to
come to get them
931
00:50:25,263 --> 00:50:27,540
and she opened the door.
932
00:50:27,541 --> 00:50:28,955
She was not very big.
933
00:50:28,956 --> 00:50:30,992
She looked like a pleasant lady.
934
00:50:30,993 --> 00:50:33,719
I don't think she
say a word to me.
935
00:50:33,720 --> 00:50:37,067
She hold the book and I
say, "Thank you very much."
936
00:50:37,068 --> 00:50:39,690
She closed the
door. Nothing else.
937
00:50:39,691 --> 00:50:40,692
No contact.
938
00:50:41,969 --> 00:50:45,386
I would've loved to ask
how the children, no,
939
00:50:45,387 --> 00:50:47,596
they were at school, the babies.
940
00:50:49,667 --> 00:50:53,152
[gentle piano music]
941
00:50:53,153 --> 00:50:56,983
It was very hard to get a
nanny, a good nanny in London
942
00:50:56,984 --> 00:50:59,365
for a rate that wasn't
too over the top
943
00:50:59,366 --> 00:51:02,748
because we know Lucan had
money issues and therefore
944
00:51:02,749 --> 00:51:05,406
you get this extraordinary
sort of revolving door
945
00:51:05,407 --> 00:51:07,304
of carers and au pairs
946
00:51:07,305 --> 00:51:12,068
and nannies that arrive
in the family house,
947
00:51:12,069 --> 00:51:15,001
some of whom leave, some
of whom aren't appropriate,
948
00:51:15,002 --> 00:51:16,796
some of whom don't
cut the mustard,
949
00:51:16,797 --> 00:51:18,522
some of whom Veronica
doesn't get on with,
950
00:51:18,523 --> 00:51:20,214
some of whom are
only temporary anyway
951
00:51:20,215 --> 00:51:23,355
until the agency can
get the right nanny.
952
00:51:23,356 --> 00:51:25,288
We know Francis, the older
girl didn't really get on
953
00:51:25,289 --> 00:51:27,255
with the nannies and
can you blame her?
954
00:51:27,256 --> 00:51:29,395
She had a different one
every week virtually.
955
00:51:29,396 --> 00:51:32,468
[soft music]
956
00:51:33,711 --> 00:51:36,885
I became a penthouse
pet and a Bunny Girls,
957
00:51:36,886 --> 00:51:38,370
and I love it.
958
00:51:38,371 --> 00:51:40,268
I love the money I was making.
959
00:51:40,269 --> 00:51:42,547
It was just glamorous.
960
00:51:46,033 --> 00:51:48,587
I cannot remember
the exact date,
961
00:51:48,588 --> 00:51:52,142
but I know that I left weeks
962
00:51:52,143 --> 00:51:54,904
before everything happened.
963
00:51:56,458 --> 00:52:00,219
My boss said to me, "Have
you read the last article?"
964
00:52:00,220 --> 00:52:01,565
And I said, "No."
965
00:52:01,566 --> 00:52:03,602
He said, "You worked with
Lord Lucan, didn't you?"
966
00:52:03,603 --> 00:52:05,605
And he gave me the
paper and I read it.
967
00:52:09,609 --> 00:52:12,714
And I just walk out and
I walk in the street
968
00:52:12,715 --> 00:52:15,787
and I said, "It
could have been me."
969
00:52:16,788 --> 00:52:19,169
And then I
straightaway said, "No,
970
00:52:19,170 --> 00:52:22,345
"that would not have
happened if I did stay."
971
00:52:22,346 --> 00:52:25,624
And from this minute,
the guilt came.
972
00:52:25,625 --> 00:52:29,248
First of all, I thought it
was Veronica was killed,
973
00:52:29,249 --> 00:52:31,423
and that really shocked me.
974
00:52:31,424 --> 00:52:35,254
Then when I saw it was a
mother of a young baby,
975
00:52:35,255 --> 00:52:37,670
a young child, I felt guilty.
976
00:52:37,671 --> 00:52:40,363
And this guilt is
still here now,
977
00:52:40,364 --> 00:52:43,298
50 years on this guilt is here.
978
00:52:46,024 --> 00:52:47,370
It's all right.
979
00:52:47,371 --> 00:52:49,131
I have to cope, I live with it.
980
00:52:50,926 --> 00:52:54,171
[music box plays]
981
00:52:57,104 --> 00:52:59,313
I mean, when you think
of the chain of events
982
00:52:59,314 --> 00:53:01,418
and how they're
affecting people's lives,
983
00:53:01,419 --> 00:53:03,903
the idea that a judge
saying there has
984
00:53:03,904 --> 00:53:06,458
to be a nanny in
situ all the time,
985
00:53:06,459 --> 00:53:09,944
and Sandra happily, innocently
986
00:53:09,945 --> 00:53:12,084
thinking, oh, what a great job.
987
00:53:12,085 --> 00:53:13,224
It's awful really.
988
00:53:14,501 --> 00:53:17,400
When the police ask me
question, I said to them,
989
00:53:17,401 --> 00:53:18,849
"I feel guilty.
990
00:53:18,850 --> 00:53:22,094
"No way they would
ever murdered me."
991
00:53:22,095 --> 00:53:24,304
I never heard from
the children again.
992
00:53:26,720 --> 00:53:30,621
My guilt was so
great at the time.
993
00:53:32,726 --> 00:53:36,834
I felt that the children could
have been killed as well.
994
00:53:40,044 --> 00:53:44,220
[gentle piano music]
995
00:53:44,221 --> 00:53:45,980
Sandra appeared happy
at her place of work,
996
00:53:45,981 --> 00:53:47,602
and she told her mother that.
997
00:53:47,603 --> 00:53:49,880
She'd ring her
mother every evening.
998
00:53:49,881 --> 00:53:53,263
She would ring her boyfriend
and say how happy she was.
999
00:53:53,264 --> 00:53:54,989
They probably felt very secure
1000
00:53:54,990 --> 00:53:58,234
and safe within the environment
at that address at the time.
1001
00:53:58,235 --> 00:54:01,133
Unfortunately, that was to
then to become a significant
1002
00:54:01,134 --> 00:54:02,686
and horrendous murder scene.
1003
00:54:02,687 --> 00:54:05,965
Less than half an hour after
they were watching a television
1004
00:54:05,966 --> 00:54:08,762
and she'd gone downstairs,
Sandra would've been killed.
1005
00:54:11,144 --> 00:54:14,526
On the night it
happened with Lady Lucan
1006
00:54:14,527 --> 00:54:16,562
taken off to hospital,
desperately injured.
1007
00:54:16,563 --> 00:54:19,117
She had massive
wounds to her scalp.
1008
00:54:20,291 --> 00:54:22,844
Sandra Rivett dead
in the basement.
1009
00:54:22,845 --> 00:54:24,984
The children were completely
alone in the house
1010
00:54:24,985 --> 00:54:28,471
with this horrible scene
happening downstairs.
1011
00:54:28,472 --> 00:54:32,958
Lucan himself tried to
get some help for them.
1012
00:54:32,959 --> 00:54:35,098
He telephoned his mother
1013
00:54:35,099 --> 00:54:38,239
and said, could you
go to the house?
1014
00:54:38,240 --> 00:54:41,622
I believe that the only
person in the room with
1015
00:54:41,623 --> 00:54:46,523
the Dowager Countess of
Lucan was a police woman.
1016
00:54:46,524 --> 00:54:50,631
The police woman realised
Lucan was on the phone
1017
00:54:50,632 --> 00:54:53,359
and then just did nothing,
just sat there and listened.
1018
00:54:54,532 --> 00:54:57,569
Lord Lucans mother
asked Lord Lucan whether
1019
00:54:57,570 --> 00:55:00,710
or not he wanted to
speak to the officer.
1020
00:55:00,711 --> 00:55:04,438
And his response was, "No,
tell the officer I will speak
1021
00:55:04,439 --> 00:55:05,784
"to her tomorrow."
1022
00:55:05,785 --> 00:55:08,718
And for me, that was where part
1023
00:55:08,719 --> 00:55:12,238
of the investigation was
going to be hindered.
1024
00:55:12,239 --> 00:55:14,931
You can't have your possible
suspect on the opposite end
1025
00:55:14,932 --> 00:55:17,658
of the phone who says,
"I'll ring you tomorrow."
1026
00:55:17,659 --> 00:55:20,730
Your natural instinct would
be, "Give me that phone.
1027
00:55:20,731 --> 00:55:23,629
"Hello, mate, you need
to wind your neck in
1028
00:55:23,630 --> 00:55:25,182
"and we need to talk."
1029
00:55:25,183 --> 00:55:26,908
That's just policing.
1030
00:55:26,909 --> 00:55:28,738
I don't think of any police
officer who would go,
1031
00:55:28,739 --> 00:55:30,705
"Yeah, I agree with that."
1032
00:55:30,706 --> 00:55:33,709
I don't understand why the
officer didn't do it, I'm sorry.
1033
00:55:35,849 --> 00:55:40,059
I think the details
of how Sandra died
1034
00:55:40,060 --> 00:55:43,166
and the details of how
Lady Lucan was hurt
1035
00:55:43,167 --> 00:55:45,858
didn't really come out
in any great detail
1036
00:55:45,859 --> 00:55:48,309
until the inquest
into Sandra's death,
1037
00:55:48,310 --> 00:55:51,037
which was some
considerable time later.
1038
00:55:52,314 --> 00:55:54,695
The whole attention
of the police
1039
00:55:54,696 --> 00:55:56,248
and the press was supposed
1040
00:55:56,249 --> 00:55:59,527
to be the worldwide
hunt for Lord Lucan.
1041
00:55:59,528 --> 00:56:00,908
I wish to interview him
1042
00:56:00,909 --> 00:56:03,462
and I'd like to interview
him as soon as possible.
1043
00:56:03,463 --> 00:56:06,534
And if any person is helping him
1044
00:56:06,535 --> 00:56:08,847
or assisting him,
we'd like them to
1045
00:56:08,848 --> 00:56:10,814
or have any knowledge
of his whereabouts.
1046
00:56:10,815 --> 00:56:12,369
We'd like them to let us know.
1047
00:56:13,818 --> 00:56:15,440
After Lady Lucan ran off
1048
00:56:15,441 --> 00:56:18,582
to the pub screaming
and shouting,
1049
00:56:19,755 --> 00:56:22,688
and Lucan realised that
he had to get away.
1050
00:56:22,689 --> 00:56:26,071
He into his car, the car
that he had hoped to carry,
1051
00:56:26,072 --> 00:56:30,420
Lady Lucan's body away
in, and he fled the scene.
1052
00:56:30,421 --> 00:56:33,527
And the only indication of
1053
00:56:33,528 --> 00:56:38,428
what he did then comes from
the late Susan Maxwell Scott,
1054
00:56:38,429 --> 00:56:41,086
who days later reported
1055
00:56:41,087 --> 00:56:43,813
that he had turned
up at her house on
1056
00:56:43,814 --> 00:56:45,504
the night of the killing.
1057
00:56:45,505 --> 00:56:46,781
He looked a bit dishevelled,
1058
00:56:46,782 --> 00:56:48,507
may have had a bit
of blood on him.
1059
00:56:48,508 --> 00:56:51,096
He asked if he could
get a pen and paper,
1060
00:56:51,097 --> 00:56:53,063
and he wanted to write
a couple of letters.
1061
00:56:53,064 --> 00:56:54,065
He then left.
1062
00:56:55,273 --> 00:56:57,930
One of the letters,
went to Bill Shand Kydd,
1063
00:56:57,931 --> 00:56:59,587
his brother-in-law.
1064
00:56:59,588 --> 00:57:02,659
Bill was a very, very
close friend of his.
1065
00:57:02,660 --> 00:57:05,490
No, I obviously can't divulge
the contents of the letter.
1066
00:57:05,491 --> 00:57:10,356
All I can say is that
it confirmed the story,
1067
00:57:10,357 --> 00:57:12,462
which he had told his mother
1068
00:57:12,463 --> 00:57:13,981
that there had been an
intruder in the house.
1069
00:57:13,982 --> 00:57:16,501
Apart from that, I can't
divulge any of the contents.
1070
00:57:16,502 --> 00:57:18,951
I think he used the
phrase, it's been a night
1071
00:57:18,952 --> 00:57:21,644
of unbelievable coincidences.
1072
00:57:21,645 --> 00:57:26,684
And he set the scene
for what is his version,
1073
00:57:27,823 --> 00:57:29,341
his alibi for what
happened that night,
1074
00:57:29,342 --> 00:57:33,034
or rather his defence for
what happened that night.
1075
00:57:33,035 --> 00:57:34,553
- And he saw the intruder?
- Yes.
1076
00:57:34,554 --> 00:57:35,658
He disturbed the intruder.
1077
00:57:35,659 --> 00:57:36,935
What sort of a man was he?
1078
00:57:36,936 --> 00:57:39,766
Generous man. A
very gentle man.
1079
00:57:40,733 --> 00:57:41,871
Very much a family man.
1080
00:57:41,872 --> 00:57:44,563
He's really devoted
to his children.
1081
00:57:44,564 --> 00:57:47,153
They are the most important
thing in his life.
1082
00:57:49,742 --> 00:57:52,813
When I interrupted the
fight at Lower Belgrave Street
1083
00:57:52,814 --> 00:57:57,714
and the man left, Veronica
accused me of having hired him,
1084
00:57:57,715 --> 00:58:00,579
I took her upstairs and
sent Francis up to bed
1085
00:58:00,580 --> 00:58:02,823
and tried to clean her up.
1086
00:58:02,824 --> 00:58:05,032
She laid Doggo for a bit,
1087
00:58:05,033 --> 00:58:08,001
and when I was in the
bathroom, left the house.
1088
00:58:09,313 --> 00:58:12,453
The circumstantial evidence
against me is strong in
1089
00:58:12,454 --> 00:58:15,525
that V will say it
was all my doing.
1090
00:58:15,526 --> 00:58:17,423
I will also lie Doggo for a bit,
1091
00:58:17,424 --> 00:58:20,530
but I'm also concerned
for the children.
1092
00:58:20,531 --> 00:58:23,569
If you can manage it, I
want them to live with you.
1093
00:58:24,915 --> 00:58:27,192
To use the term, the
circumstantial evidence against
1094
00:58:27,193 --> 00:58:28,400
me is strong.
1095
00:58:28,401 --> 00:58:29,953
It doesn't sit right with me.
1096
00:58:29,954 --> 00:58:33,336
It doesn't feel like the thing
a normal person would say.
1097
00:58:33,337 --> 00:58:36,235
He said to Bill Shand Kydd
that he was going to run away
1098
00:58:36,236 --> 00:58:38,272
and lie doggo for a while.
1099
00:58:38,273 --> 00:58:40,826
That phrase has
haunted me for 50 years
1100
00:58:40,827 --> 00:58:44,658
because lying doggo for a
while is not I'm gonna go
1101
00:58:44,659 --> 00:58:46,142
and kill myself.
1102
00:58:46,143 --> 00:58:47,626
It's I'm gonna go
1103
00:58:47,627 --> 00:58:50,387
and hide under the bed clothes
until somebody finds me.
1104
00:58:50,388 --> 00:58:52,529
And it's just, he's
been hiding very well
1105
00:58:53,322 --> 00:58:54,600
for five decades.
1106
00:58:59,915 --> 00:59:03,021
On the 9th of November,
police had received information
1107
00:59:03,022 --> 00:59:06,542
that the Ford Corsair, that
Michael Stoop had loaned
1108
00:59:06,543 --> 00:59:09,166
to Lord Lucan had been
found in Newhaven.
1109
00:59:10,616 --> 00:59:13,307
The individuals who came across
the vehicle said it had been
1110
00:59:13,308 --> 00:59:16,241
parked between five
and 8:00 AM that day.
1111
00:59:16,242 --> 00:59:19,485
The vehicle was subsequently
found by the officers locked,
1112
00:59:19,486 --> 00:59:21,833
which would imply
that whoever was in it
1113
00:59:21,834 --> 00:59:25,215
may have intended to
come back to the vehicle.
1114
00:59:25,216 --> 00:59:27,839
The natural suggestion would be
1115
00:59:27,840 --> 00:59:31,428
that he then got on the
Newhaven to Dieppe Ferry
1116
00:59:31,429 --> 00:59:33,223
and escaped to France.
1117
00:59:33,224 --> 00:59:34,777
But the reality is
1118
00:59:34,778 --> 00:59:38,125
that the police questioned
just every passenger they could
1119
00:59:38,126 --> 00:59:43,165
find who had made that crossing
on the day after the murder.
1120
00:59:44,442 --> 00:59:46,754
And they could find nobody
among the passengers
1121
00:59:46,755 --> 00:59:49,308
or crew who saw
1122
00:59:49,309 --> 00:59:53,830
or remembered a six foot
tall former guards officer
1123
00:59:53,831 --> 00:59:55,867
with a very big bushy moustache
1124
00:59:55,868 --> 00:59:59,974
and talking in a very
plummy, aristocratic accent.
1125
00:59:59,975 --> 01:00:02,909
He wasn't somebody you
could mistake in a crowd.
1126
01:00:03,841 --> 01:00:05,808
I think the police believed
1127
01:00:05,809 --> 01:00:09,328
that the car was left at
Newhaven as a red herring.
1128
01:00:09,329 --> 01:00:13,022
Nobody would know apart
from Susan Maxwell Scott.
1129
01:00:13,023 --> 01:00:18,062
And and her evidence was
just never forthcoming.
1130
01:00:19,374 --> 01:00:21,825
I would think that the
probability is that he is alive,
1131
01:00:22,998 --> 01:00:26,414
but I have no knowledge,
no foundation for that.
1132
01:00:26,415 --> 01:00:28,728
It's just a feeling.
I think he's alive.
1133
01:00:30,040 --> 01:00:32,973
I don't think there's
anybody, certainly in London
1134
01:00:32,974 --> 01:00:34,526
that didn't know
about this case.
1135
01:00:34,527 --> 01:00:38,012
It would've been front page,
back page news, everything.
1136
01:00:38,013 --> 01:00:40,290
But that sometimes
can work against you
1137
01:00:40,291 --> 01:00:42,465
because you're gonna get lots
1138
01:00:42,466 --> 01:00:44,122
of sightings coming
from all over the world.
1139
01:00:44,123 --> 01:00:45,744
They were coming from Australia,
1140
01:00:45,745 --> 01:00:48,678
they were coming from
Europe, certainly in the UK.
1141
01:00:48,679 --> 01:00:51,577
So that would've made
it even more difficult.
1142
01:00:51,578 --> 01:00:54,511
In the days and
weeks after the murder,
1143
01:00:54,512 --> 01:00:57,238
the media generally
were full of stories
1144
01:00:57,239 --> 01:01:00,759
of this worldwide hunt for
the missing Lord Lucan,
1145
01:01:00,760 --> 01:01:02,519
it was a great headline.
1146
01:01:02,520 --> 01:01:05,143
The truth of the matter
is that Roy Ranson,
1147
01:01:05,144 --> 01:01:07,766
the detective in
charge of the case,
1148
01:01:07,767 --> 01:01:10,389
never went on a worldwide hunt
1149
01:01:10,390 --> 01:01:15,430
because he had no evidence
of where Lucan might be.
1150
01:01:16,742 --> 01:01:18,570
14 years ago when I
was in the Met, I believe
1151
01:01:18,571 --> 01:01:22,160
that they would've identified
where Lord Lucan was
1152
01:01:22,161 --> 01:01:24,852
and he would've been
arrested within days
1153
01:01:24,853 --> 01:01:26,751
or even weeks at the maximum
1154
01:01:26,752 --> 01:01:29,754
because there's so much
stuff now that we have to do
1155
01:01:29,755 --> 01:01:32,135
that the moment you have
your phone in your pocket,
1156
01:01:32,136 --> 01:01:33,689
it's pinging away on
1157
01:01:33,690 --> 01:01:35,898
where you are from the moment
he left the scene from the
1158
01:01:35,899 --> 01:01:38,486
moment he ended up
out in Newhaven,
1159
01:01:38,487 --> 01:01:40,696
all that information
would be downloaded
1160
01:01:40,697 --> 01:01:43,457
and would have all that
information in a matter
1161
01:01:43,458 --> 01:01:45,770
of 72 hours max.
1162
01:01:45,771 --> 01:01:47,426
So Roy Ranson
1163
01:01:47,427 --> 01:01:51,396
and his team were
hamstrung by the lack
1164
01:01:51,397 --> 01:01:52,708
of technology
1165
01:01:52,709 --> 01:01:54,088
and all of those things
1166
01:01:54,089 --> 01:01:57,574
that an SIO now has
to bring to bear.
1167
01:01:57,575 --> 01:01:59,715
If you're lucky in
this day and age,
1168
01:01:59,716 --> 01:02:02,545
you could have solved
that within 72 hours.
1169
01:02:02,546 --> 01:02:04,893
And if you're not, maybe
in a couple of weeks.
1170
01:02:06,377 --> 01:02:09,517
[tense music]
1171
01:02:09,518 --> 01:02:11,657
The most plausible
thing I think,
1172
01:02:11,658 --> 01:02:16,698
and supported by the
evidence, is that Lord Lucan
1173
01:02:17,423 --> 01:02:21,496
was absolutely enraged
1174
01:02:22,600 --> 01:02:27,190
that he had no
control over Veronica.
1175
01:02:27,191 --> 01:02:29,883
He wanted custody of
his children, basically.
1176
01:02:29,884 --> 01:02:32,852
He wanted to win
and he was losing.
1177
01:02:33,957 --> 01:02:35,923
He went through an
escalation period.
1178
01:02:35,924 --> 01:02:38,788
He started to fantasise
about how he was gonna win.
1179
01:02:38,789 --> 01:02:41,342
He was gonna win by killing her.
1180
01:02:41,343 --> 01:02:42,758
He planned to kill her.
1181
01:02:42,759 --> 01:02:44,690
He went round there
to execute the plan.
1182
01:02:44,691 --> 01:02:46,658
He killed the wrong woman.
1183
01:02:46,659 --> 01:02:51,698
A typical intimate partner
homicide that went wrong.
1184
01:02:54,046 --> 01:02:58,290
I think the murder
was very premeditated.
1185
01:02:58,291 --> 01:03:01,191
There were a number of
indications that it was premeditated.
1186
01:03:03,676 --> 01:03:05,573
The week before it happened,
1187
01:03:05,574 --> 01:03:09,785
he had custody of the children
for a weekend or an evening,
1188
01:03:09,786 --> 01:03:13,719
and he talked to them about
their new nanny, Sandra,
1189
01:03:13,720 --> 01:03:16,067
and they told him
all about Sandra
1190
01:03:16,068 --> 01:03:18,379
and what a nice girl she was.
1191
01:03:18,380 --> 01:03:21,900
So he said, "I suppose your
nanny has a boyfriend?"
1192
01:03:21,901 --> 01:03:26,318
And the oldest, Lucan girl
said, "She's got a boyfriend."
1193
01:03:26,319 --> 01:03:27,699
and giggled.
1194
01:03:27,700 --> 01:03:31,737
And I think said, "We
saw her kissing him."
1195
01:03:31,738 --> 01:03:35,845
and Lucan then said, "Does the
boyfriend take Sandra out?"
1196
01:03:35,846 --> 01:03:37,778
And the children said, "Oh yes,
1197
01:03:37,779 --> 01:03:40,056
"she goes out every
Thursday night
1198
01:03:40,057 --> 01:03:42,024
"because that's her day off."
1199
01:03:42,025 --> 01:03:45,234
It was the very next
Thursday night that Lucan
1200
01:03:45,235 --> 01:03:48,306
turned up in the house
with his intent to kill.
1201
01:03:48,307 --> 01:03:51,240
So it was certainly premeditated
to the point where he knew
1202
01:03:51,241 --> 01:03:53,380
that the nanny would
be out of the house
1203
01:03:53,381 --> 01:03:55,727
and Lady Lucan would be alone
1204
01:03:55,728 --> 01:03:59,111
and he was most likely to
be able to kill his wife.
1205
01:04:00,733 --> 01:04:02,009
It was common knowledge
1206
01:04:02,010 --> 01:04:05,357
that Sandra normally had
the Thursday night off.
1207
01:04:05,358 --> 01:04:07,014
But on this
occasion, she decided
1208
01:04:07,015 --> 01:04:09,568
that she wanted to change it.
1209
01:04:09,569 --> 01:04:13,296
We know before the attack
she'd spoken to her boyfriend,
1210
01:04:13,297 --> 01:04:15,610
they talked about
meeting up the next day.
1211
01:04:20,857 --> 01:04:23,893
[dramatic music]
1212
01:04:23,894 --> 01:04:26,516
The murder happened
on the evening
1213
01:04:26,517 --> 01:04:29,450
of the 7th of November, 1974.
1214
01:04:29,451 --> 01:04:34,491
As ever with this, there
are very few hard facts.
1215
01:04:35,664 --> 01:04:37,734
We don't even know
what time it happened
1216
01:04:37,735 --> 01:04:40,014
because there are
conflicting reports.
1217
01:04:41,049 --> 01:04:43,602
While Veronica,
two of her children
1218
01:04:43,603 --> 01:04:47,779
and Sandra were all upstairs
in the main bedroom,
1219
01:04:47,780 --> 01:04:50,333
Veronica's bedroom, they
were all on the bed together
1220
01:04:50,334 --> 01:04:53,026
watching the $6 million man.
1221
01:04:53,027 --> 01:04:57,409
And on the floor above was
Francis, the elder child
1222
01:04:57,410 --> 01:04:59,998
who was watching
top of the pops.
1223
01:04:59,999 --> 01:05:04,244
At some point between
1224
01:05:04,245 --> 01:05:06,902
25 to nine and five to nine,
1225
01:05:06,903 --> 01:05:11,355
Sandra Rivett went down into
the basement to make tea.
1226
01:05:12,529 --> 01:05:15,117
There was a light
bulb had been removed,
1227
01:05:15,118 --> 01:05:17,326
so she was in the dark.
1228
01:05:17,327 --> 01:05:19,086
She went down those stairs
1229
01:05:19,087 --> 01:05:22,158
and at the bottom of
the stairs was attacked.
1230
01:05:22,159 --> 01:05:25,610
[dramatic music crescendos]
1231
01:05:25,611 --> 01:05:28,475
I think maybe after the
first two or three blows.
1232
01:05:28,476 --> 01:05:29,614
And she may have screamed.
1233
01:05:29,615 --> 01:05:30,891
He may have thought
this is not her,
1234
01:05:30,892 --> 01:05:32,237
but he could not
have stopped then.
1235
01:05:32,238 --> 01:05:35,827
He couldn't say, "Oh,
sorry, wrong person."
1236
01:05:35,828 --> 01:05:37,347
So he had to kill her.
1237
01:05:39,418 --> 01:05:42,938
Sandra collapses in a
pool of blood and Lord Lucan
1238
01:05:42,939 --> 01:05:44,560
scoops up the body
1239
01:05:44,561 --> 01:05:48,253
and puts it into the big sack
that he's come prepared with.
1240
01:05:48,254 --> 01:05:51,325
Now, it is entirely possible
1241
01:05:51,326 --> 01:05:53,534
that he doesn't know
he's killed Sandra.
1242
01:05:53,535 --> 01:05:55,537
He thinks he's
killed Lady Lucan.
1243
01:05:56,953 --> 01:05:59,920
And so he goes off to
wash off the blood,
1244
01:05:59,921 --> 01:06:02,095
leaving the body in the sack.
1245
01:06:02,096 --> 01:06:05,581
All he can see of the body
is her rocked up skirt
1246
01:06:05,582 --> 01:06:08,342
and underwear, which could
well have been his wife's.
1247
01:06:08,343 --> 01:06:09,895
So he goes upstairs to
1248
01:06:09,896 --> 01:06:12,657
where there is a light in
the ground floor, cloak room,
1249
01:06:12,658 --> 01:06:15,280
and that's where he starts
to wash the blood off.
1250
01:06:15,281 --> 01:06:18,456
And it's at that point that
he hears a noise outside
1251
01:06:18,457 --> 01:06:21,459
and he throws open the
door, and there's his wife.
1252
01:06:21,460 --> 01:06:23,875
The woman who he
firmly believed at
1253
01:06:23,876 --> 01:06:27,016
that stage was downstairs
dead in a sack.
1254
01:06:27,017 --> 01:06:30,434
[water Trickling]
[tense music]
1255
01:06:31,297 --> 01:06:33,436
He's totally shocked by this.
1256
01:06:33,437 --> 01:06:35,680
And he attacks Lady
Lucan viciously.
1257
01:06:35,681 --> 01:06:38,855
I mean, he's got this
lead pipe in his hand
1258
01:06:38,856 --> 01:06:41,824
and he's still swinging
his pipe at her.
1259
01:06:41,825 --> 01:06:44,378
He hits her across the
head several times.
1260
01:06:44,379 --> 01:06:46,863
She wouldn't have had
the slightest chance
1261
01:06:46,864 --> 01:06:49,797
or knowledge of what
was happening to her.
1262
01:06:49,798 --> 01:06:52,835
It is so hard to know
what was actually going
1263
01:06:52,836 --> 01:06:54,457
through his head at that point.
1264
01:06:54,458 --> 01:06:59,498
But what I would theorise
is that he sounded
1265
01:07:00,050 --> 01:07:01,637
blood hot angry.
1266
01:07:01,638 --> 01:07:03,501
And after that, there
might have been a moment
1267
01:07:03,502 --> 01:07:07,436
where he went, "Oh
God, what have I done?"
1268
01:07:07,437 --> 01:07:09,852
Upstairs, he's in
a narrow corridor.
1269
01:07:09,853 --> 01:07:11,785
He's facing Lady Lucan.
1270
01:07:11,786 --> 01:07:14,029
And although he hits
her without enough force
1271
01:07:14,030 --> 01:07:18,930
to knock her out, she's a
wiry, feisty young woman.
1272
01:07:18,931 --> 01:07:21,243
And she's fighting for her life.
1273
01:07:21,244 --> 01:07:24,349
She scratches him, they're
wrestling together.
1274
01:07:24,350 --> 01:07:27,111
And in the end, she reaches down
1275
01:07:27,112 --> 01:07:30,769
and she grabs hold of his
testicles and squeezes
1276
01:07:30,770 --> 01:07:33,186
and twists as hard as she can.
1277
01:07:33,187 --> 01:07:36,913
And Lucan collapses
to the floor with her.
1278
01:07:36,914 --> 01:07:39,364
They slide down
the walls together.
1279
01:07:39,365 --> 01:07:42,126
And Lady Lucan is so clever.
1280
01:07:42,127 --> 01:07:44,645
She says, "What are
you doing, John?
1281
01:07:44,646 --> 01:07:47,131
"What on earth are you doing?"
1282
01:07:47,132 --> 01:07:50,099
And he mumbles incoherently.
1283
01:07:50,100 --> 01:07:52,171
And she says, "Where's Sandra?
1284
01:07:53,241 --> 01:07:54,759
"Where's my nanny?"
1285
01:07:54,760 --> 01:07:57,487
And he says, "I think I've
killed, I've killed your nanny."
1286
01:08:02,008 --> 01:08:04,389
They went upstairs
to the bedroom
1287
01:08:04,390 --> 01:08:08,531
and he rang out a towel
to clean her up a bit.
1288
01:08:08,532 --> 01:08:12,570
We know he was there because
Francis, his daughter, saw him.
1289
01:08:12,571 --> 01:08:14,537
But when he was in the bathroom
1290
01:08:14,538 --> 01:08:16,539
cleaning up the
towel and everything,
1291
01:08:16,540 --> 01:08:19,818
Veronica ran down the
stairs, ran out the house,
1292
01:08:19,819 --> 01:08:22,269
ran up the street to the
The Plumber's Arms pub,
1293
01:08:22,270 --> 01:08:23,926
and burst into the bar.
1294
01:08:23,927 --> 01:08:26,032
This was 10 to 10
1295
01:08:27,379 --> 01:08:30,484
and said, "Help, help my
husband's murdered my nanny."
1296
01:08:30,485 --> 01:08:33,349
And from that point, it
became a police matter.
1297
01:08:33,350 --> 01:08:34,800
They descended on the house.
1298
01:08:37,009 --> 01:08:39,632
[sombre music]
1299
01:08:47,364 --> 01:08:49,986
Lady Lucan attended the inquest,
1300
01:08:49,987 --> 01:08:54,543
and her role was to
give an account of
1301
01:08:54,544 --> 01:08:58,098
what happened to her
in terms of the attack,
1302
01:08:58,099 --> 01:09:00,928
which resulted in her
receiving those injuries.
1303
01:09:00,929 --> 01:09:03,828
The problem in this case
is that at the time,
1304
01:09:03,829 --> 01:09:05,968
the law did not allow her
1305
01:09:05,969 --> 01:09:10,386
to talk about her husband's
attack on Sandra Rivett
1306
01:09:10,387 --> 01:09:13,182
because at that time
a spouse couldn't give
1307
01:09:13,183 --> 01:09:14,977
evidence against the other.
1308
01:09:14,978 --> 01:09:17,048
So all that Lady
Lucan could talk about
1309
01:09:17,049 --> 01:09:18,325
was the attack on her.
1310
01:09:18,326 --> 01:09:21,742
She couldn't, in any
way, give evidence about
1311
01:09:21,743 --> 01:09:25,125
what Lord Lucan said when
she managed to calm him down
1312
01:09:25,126 --> 01:09:28,646
and he actually confessed
that he had killed Sandra.
1313
01:09:28,647 --> 01:09:30,165
She could not give
that evidence.
1314
01:09:30,166 --> 01:09:32,926
But that law has
subsequently changed
1315
01:09:32,927 --> 01:09:36,792
where a spouse can give evidence
against the other spouse in
1316
01:09:36,793 --> 01:09:38,414
relation to any offence
1317
01:09:38,415 --> 01:09:40,761
that they may have
committed against them.
1318
01:09:40,762 --> 01:09:44,938
At the inquest,
which was June, 1975,
1319
01:09:44,939 --> 01:09:48,976
Sandra became more striking
to my mind, really,
1320
01:09:48,977 --> 01:09:51,220
because you can understand the
initial flurry around Lucan
1321
01:09:51,221 --> 01:09:52,946
and the excitement.
1322
01:09:52,947 --> 01:09:54,949
This very unlikely murderer.
1323
01:09:56,122 --> 01:09:58,365
Sandra's family were there
1324
01:09:58,366 --> 01:10:03,128
and her father, Albert said
to the press, you know this,
1325
01:10:03,129 --> 01:10:05,235
"This is all meant to
be about my daughter."
1326
01:10:06,374 --> 01:10:09,342
And her Aunt Vera
said the same thing,
1327
01:10:09,343 --> 01:10:11,585
but more, she was stronger.
1328
01:10:11,586 --> 01:10:14,588
"My niece is caught in the
crossfire between the Lucans
1329
01:10:14,589 --> 01:10:17,108
"and it's all about the Lucans."
1330
01:10:17,109 --> 01:10:19,455
Veronica had had a
tough time as well,
1331
01:10:19,456 --> 01:10:24,461
but Sandra's family is where
the sympathy should be going.
1332
01:10:25,151 --> 01:10:26,428
It's just the dad
1333
01:10:26,429 --> 01:10:29,396
and the aunt sitting
at the back quietly.
1334
01:10:29,397 --> 01:10:32,882
And what they reflect on is
1335
01:10:32,883 --> 01:10:35,816
why wasn't this about Sandra?
1336
01:10:35,817 --> 01:10:38,129
Why was she completely ignored?
1337
01:10:38,130 --> 01:10:40,649
And that is devastating
1338
01:10:40,650 --> 01:10:45,620
because within that you
can hear the frustration,
1339
01:10:46,690 --> 01:10:49,623
the pain, and I
reckon the rage of
1340
01:10:49,624 --> 01:10:54,387
"How dare you ignore
my child, my niece,
1341
01:10:54,388 --> 01:10:57,494
"the victim of this story
as if she doesn't matter."
1342
01:11:00,221 --> 01:11:03,534
I saw the crime
scene photographs
1343
01:11:03,535 --> 01:11:07,814
and she had taken blows
1344
01:11:07,815 --> 01:11:12,095
to her head, which were
clearly unsurvivable.
1345
01:11:13,338 --> 01:11:15,477
I am no medical expert.
1346
01:11:15,478 --> 01:11:18,376
But you could not have
survived the beating
1347
01:11:18,377 --> 01:11:19,965
that Lord Lucan gave her.
1348
01:11:22,657 --> 01:11:27,420
At the inquest, the main
source of interest was not
1349
01:11:27,421 --> 01:11:30,215
how Sandra died.
1350
01:11:30,216 --> 01:11:32,597
It was where was Lord Lucan
1351
01:11:32,598 --> 01:11:36,739
and what was the jury going
to say in their final verdict?
1352
01:11:36,740 --> 01:11:41,399
Because the inquest turned
into the trial of Lord Lucan.
1353
01:11:41,400 --> 01:11:43,678
Sandra was virtually forgotten.
1354
01:11:45,059 --> 01:11:47,544
And so it became a bit
of a circus to some degree.
1355
01:11:49,235 --> 01:11:51,617
[tense music]
1356
01:11:53,930 --> 01:11:55,240
The media were there.
1357
01:11:55,241 --> 01:11:58,175
People turned up in
their fine regalia.
1358
01:12:03,560 --> 01:12:04,802
You had Lady Lucan
1359
01:12:04,803 --> 01:12:06,907
who was still suffering
from her injuries.
1360
01:12:06,908 --> 01:12:09,221
She had a hat that she wore
every day to hide them.
1361
01:12:10,498 --> 01:12:13,017
Lord Lucan had hit her
over the head three times
1362
01:12:13,018 --> 01:12:16,123
with the metal bar with
which he'd killed Sandra.
1363
01:12:16,124 --> 01:12:20,921
And she had vertical gashes
running down her scalp like
1364
01:12:20,922 --> 01:12:25,857
this deep bone revealing gashes.
1365
01:12:25,858 --> 01:12:28,204
And she was still scarred
1366
01:12:28,205 --> 01:12:31,484
and her hair was
completely wrecked by this.
1367
01:12:31,485 --> 01:12:33,037
So she was in the habit
1368
01:12:33,038 --> 01:12:36,973
of wearing tight
turban hats each day.
1369
01:12:38,319 --> 01:12:40,044
Lady Lucan's hat attire
1370
01:12:40,045 --> 01:12:43,944
became a sort of a fashion
item in the papers.
1371
01:12:43,945 --> 01:12:46,119
Nine times out of 10
when you have a inquest
1372
01:12:46,120 --> 01:12:49,674
and a coroner obviously
involved, nobody knows about it.
1373
01:12:49,675 --> 01:12:51,987
But this one was
like everyday news
1374
01:12:51,988 --> 01:12:53,540
and public could have attended.
1375
01:12:53,541 --> 01:12:56,061
It was a circus and I don't
think that that necessarily
1376
01:12:57,338 --> 01:13:01,687
allowed Sandra's family
to find some closure.
1377
01:13:04,103 --> 01:13:07,658
The postmortem in relation to
Sandra Rivett basically showed
1378
01:13:07,659 --> 01:13:10,246
that she had received,
at least is it nine blows
1379
01:13:10,247 --> 01:13:12,628
to the head and face.
1380
01:13:12,629 --> 01:13:15,286
There was significant
blunt trauma
1381
01:13:15,287 --> 01:13:18,876
and ultimately she died
as a result of those blows
1382
01:13:18,877 --> 01:13:21,397
as well as asphyxiation
from her own blood.
1383
01:13:22,467 --> 01:13:24,640
It's what we call overkill.
1384
01:13:24,641 --> 01:13:27,747
So this was gratuitous in a way.
1385
01:13:27,748 --> 01:13:32,753
It was more violence than was
necessary just to cause death.
1386
01:13:34,064 --> 01:13:37,170
Plausibly, he probably thought
1387
01:13:37,171 --> 01:13:39,586
that it was Veronica
that he was attacking.
1388
01:13:39,587 --> 01:13:44,039
She was the one he felt
all this rage towards,
1389
01:13:44,040 --> 01:13:46,386
that rage was pent up.
1390
01:13:46,387 --> 01:13:50,045
And because it was such
gratuitous violence,
1391
01:13:50,046 --> 01:13:53,220
this killer is not only
1392
01:13:53,221 --> 01:13:56,016
and simply performing
a homicide,
1393
01:13:56,017 --> 01:13:58,743
they're getting
some emotional kind
1394
01:13:58,744 --> 01:14:00,643
of benefit from this as well.
1395
01:14:02,058 --> 01:14:04,059
The coroner's conclusion,
1396
01:14:04,060 --> 01:14:07,165
and this was quite
rare, he basically said
1397
01:14:07,166 --> 01:14:10,445
that Lord Lucan was responsible
for Sandra Rivett's murder
1398
01:14:10,446 --> 01:14:13,068
and that is something
that was unheard of.
1399
01:14:13,069 --> 01:14:15,898
And it created a
bit of a backlash
1400
01:14:15,899 --> 01:14:18,487
because the whole point
of the inquest was
1401
01:14:18,488 --> 01:14:21,973
to establish the circumstances
surrounding someone's death.
1402
01:14:21,974 --> 01:14:24,666
Was it an accident?
Was it deliberate?
1403
01:14:24,667 --> 01:14:27,945
But the coroner in this
case went beyond that
1404
01:14:27,946 --> 01:14:32,536
and actually indicated that
Lord Lucan was the person
1405
01:14:32,537 --> 01:14:34,883
who had murdered Sandra Rivett.
1406
01:14:34,884 --> 01:14:37,851
[sombre music]
1407
01:14:37,852 --> 01:14:39,474
What's interesting is because
1408
01:14:39,475 --> 01:14:42,580
of the fanciful nature in the
way this story was written up,
1409
01:14:42,581 --> 01:14:45,307
the press behaved in a way
1410
01:14:45,308 --> 01:14:49,105
that I think disrespected
the death of Sandra Rivett.
1411
01:14:51,797 --> 01:14:55,213
There was a case of the
newspaper report offering a case
1412
01:14:55,214 --> 01:14:59,424
of champagne to a
reader who came up
1413
01:14:59,425 --> 01:15:02,324
with the most inventive
1414
01:15:02,325 --> 01:15:07,364
or fanciful end for Lord
Lucan I.E, where is he now?
1415
01:15:08,227 --> 01:15:11,333
Give this horror story an end
1416
01:15:11,334 --> 01:15:14,370
and we will give you
a crate of champagne.
1417
01:15:14,371 --> 01:15:18,271
So they're turning it
really into a drama
1418
01:15:18,272 --> 01:15:20,963
and it had become,
yeah, a fairy story,
1419
01:15:20,964 --> 01:15:24,105
a horror fairy story,
a grim fairy story.
1420
01:15:26,073 --> 01:15:28,315
The Fleet Street reporters
1421
01:15:28,316 --> 01:15:32,285
and I speak as someone
who was proudly one
1422
01:15:32,286 --> 01:15:33,736
for many reasons,
1423
01:15:34,875 --> 01:15:37,532
are a pretty unfeeling
1424
01:15:37,533 --> 01:15:42,572
and pretty nasty pack of people.
1425
01:15:43,918 --> 01:15:46,748
A lot of my former colleagues
are now snarling at me.
1426
01:15:46,749 --> 01:15:47,819
But it's true.
1427
01:15:49,268 --> 01:15:53,409
If you are dealing with a
constant stream of nastiness,
1428
01:15:53,410 --> 01:15:56,205
one of the ways of dealing
with that is to laugh it off
1429
01:15:56,206 --> 01:15:58,276
and make gallows jokes about it.
1430
01:15:58,277 --> 01:16:02,591
So I can't deny that the death
1431
01:16:02,592 --> 01:16:07,147
of Sandra Rivett would
not have been greeted by
1432
01:16:07,148 --> 01:16:11,669
the Fleet Street Crime reporting
pack with great sympathy
1433
01:16:11,670 --> 01:16:13,602
and sorrow.
1434
01:16:13,603 --> 01:16:16,432
That's not to say that
on a personal level,
1435
01:16:16,433 --> 01:16:19,884
I, or many of my then colleagues
1436
01:16:19,885 --> 01:16:22,473
would not have had
every sympathy for her
1437
01:16:22,474 --> 01:16:27,167
because she was just so unlucky.
1438
01:16:27,168 --> 01:16:30,895
But when you are in
that situation now,
1439
01:16:30,896 --> 01:16:35,624
50 years ago, the
intense competition
1440
01:16:35,625 --> 01:16:39,387
of Fleet Street, and I'm
talking really intense.
1441
01:16:41,079 --> 01:16:44,460
You were going through a time
in the 70s when she died,
1442
01:16:44,461 --> 01:16:48,223
when both the
police and the press
1443
01:16:48,224 --> 01:16:50,743
were not at their finest,
1444
01:16:50,744 --> 01:16:54,954
their morals were
distinctly un-fine.
1445
01:16:54,955 --> 01:16:57,784
It's regrettable,
but it was how it was
1446
01:16:57,785 --> 01:17:00,960
and it wasn't driven
by anyone's malice,
1447
01:17:00,961 --> 01:17:05,689
it was driven by a need
as reporters and media
1448
01:17:05,690 --> 01:17:09,970
and editors would've seen
it at the time by a need to
1449
01:17:10,798 --> 01:17:13,800
inform and keep circulation.
1450
01:17:13,801 --> 01:17:17,702
I mean, you know, it was
a very competitive era.
1451
01:17:19,635 --> 01:17:23,051
I think the police
investigation was pretty terrible.
1452
01:17:23,052 --> 01:17:24,915
There was quite a lot
of insinuation about
1453
01:17:24,916 --> 01:17:26,642
how she had a lot of boyfriends.
1454
01:17:28,298 --> 01:17:31,094
She clearly liked
having a boyfriend.
1455
01:17:32,268 --> 01:17:35,063
Is that a crime to like
having a boyfriend?
1456
01:17:35,064 --> 01:17:36,823
I mean, it's a
confusing world, the 60s
1457
01:17:36,824 --> 01:17:39,032
and 70s where women
have to have a man,
1458
01:17:39,033 --> 01:17:41,069
but they have to
have a man according
1459
01:17:41,070 --> 01:17:44,693
to the very narrow social
expectations of the day
1460
01:17:44,694 --> 01:17:48,939
and the way Sandra did it
outside of wedlock or divorced.
1461
01:17:48,940 --> 01:17:49,803
Wow.
1462
01:17:50,631 --> 01:17:52,114
And a slight overlap.
1463
01:17:52,115 --> 01:17:53,702
I mean, how many men
have had an overlap?
1464
01:17:53,703 --> 01:17:56,429
Does one really
deserve to be murdered
1465
01:17:56,430 --> 01:17:58,949
for having a very
slight emotional overlap
1466
01:17:58,950 --> 01:18:00,985
in your heterosexual relations?
1467
01:18:00,986 --> 01:18:02,678
I think not, Great Britain.
1468
01:18:04,749 --> 01:18:06,819
What really makes
me sad about Sandra is
1469
01:18:06,820 --> 01:18:11,859
that if she'd been born
20, even 10 years later,
1470
01:18:13,240 --> 01:18:14,896
I think her life would've
been completely different.
1471
01:18:14,897 --> 01:18:18,969
Sandra's sort of acknowledged
boyfriend was Australian,
1472
01:18:18,970 --> 01:18:21,350
he was called John Hankins
1473
01:18:21,351 --> 01:18:25,769
and she'd met him in
the Plumber's Arms Pub.
1474
01:18:25,770 --> 01:18:29,186
They seemed to have
been quite serious
1475
01:18:29,187 --> 01:18:31,464
because it was reported
1476
01:18:31,465 --> 01:18:35,882
that she had asked Roger
Rivett for a divorce
1477
01:18:35,883 --> 01:18:37,642
'cause they never
actually got divorced.
1478
01:18:37,643 --> 01:18:40,645
And he said, "Okay,
I'll divorce you."
1479
01:18:40,646 --> 01:18:42,475
But he never heard
from her again.
1480
01:18:42,476 --> 01:18:43,890
Presumably that was
1481
01:18:43,891 --> 01:18:46,066
because she was getting
serious with John Hankins.
1482
01:18:47,723 --> 01:18:50,207
Veronica states on
record several times,
1483
01:18:50,208 --> 01:18:51,829
including during the inquiry.
1484
01:18:51,830 --> 01:18:54,694
She never had a
problem with Sandra.
1485
01:18:54,695 --> 01:18:56,661
Sandra had relations with men,
1486
01:18:56,662 --> 01:18:58,491
but she did not
bring those men home.
1487
01:18:58,492 --> 01:19:00,769
They did not affect her work.
1488
01:19:00,770 --> 01:19:04,567
It's irrelevant, it's
totally irrelevant.
1489
01:19:05,671 --> 01:19:09,019
She had a really
attractive sort of
1490
01:19:09,020 --> 01:19:11,022
conventionally
attractive appearance
1491
01:19:12,195 --> 01:19:14,750
and obviously that's
appealing to the press.
1492
01:19:16,061 --> 01:19:18,062
There was a certain amount
about her boyfriends.
1493
01:19:18,063 --> 01:19:21,134
There was a certain amount
about her broken marriage
1494
01:19:21,135 --> 01:19:24,828
and I think that
1495
01:19:24,829 --> 01:19:27,244
I'm afraid is par
for the course.
1496
01:19:27,245 --> 01:19:29,523
Sadly, I'm not sure how
much that's changed.
1497
01:19:30,973 --> 01:19:32,939
I don't believe that there
were any preconceived views
1498
01:19:32,940 --> 01:19:34,769
by the officers at the time.
1499
01:19:34,770 --> 01:19:36,667
I tried to put myself
in their position.
1500
01:19:36,668 --> 01:19:40,188
The officers would've turned
up to a horrendous scene.
1501
01:19:40,189 --> 01:19:44,226
They would've established at a
pretty early point the nature
1502
01:19:44,227 --> 01:19:47,058
of the injuries that she
received, that she was a nanny,
1503
01:19:48,162 --> 01:19:50,750
her having a boyfriend
or boyfriends.
1504
01:19:50,751 --> 01:19:53,373
I don't think that was
necessarily anything
1505
01:19:53,374 --> 01:19:54,927
that would've been then thinking
1506
01:19:54,928 --> 01:19:56,652
that had anything to do with it.
1507
01:19:56,653 --> 01:19:59,724
I genuinely think that those
officers were steadfast in
1508
01:19:59,725 --> 01:20:01,934
their desire to
establish the facts.
1509
01:20:01,935 --> 01:20:05,075
So I don't believe that that
had any bearing whatsoever on
1510
01:20:05,076 --> 01:20:07,319
the mindset of those
officers at that time.
1511
01:20:10,012 --> 01:20:11,944
I think she'd have
had a great time now.
1512
01:20:11,945 --> 01:20:15,741
For somebody like her
who didn't settle,
1513
01:20:16,742 --> 01:20:21,817
which, you know it's not a crime
1514
01:20:23,025 --> 01:20:25,060
and she wouldn't have
had to be a nanny in
1515
01:20:25,061 --> 01:20:27,856
that weird household,
let's face it,
1516
01:20:27,857 --> 01:20:31,618
she'd be alive almost certainly.
1517
01:20:31,619 --> 01:20:34,174
[sombre music]
1518
01:21:17,838 --> 01:21:20,634
[dramatic music]
1519
01:21:28,366 --> 01:21:30,056
After nearly 50 years,
1520
01:21:30,057 --> 01:21:33,888
my understanding is that
this is still a cold case
1521
01:21:33,889 --> 01:21:35,752
for the Metropolitan
Police Service.
1522
01:21:36,926 --> 01:21:38,754
This case would've
been very frustrating
1523
01:21:38,755 --> 01:21:42,310
for those officers
involved because initially,
1524
01:21:42,311 --> 01:21:44,933
and this is no disrespect
to my colleagues,
1525
01:21:44,934 --> 01:21:48,281
they may have assumed that
this was an open and shut case.
1526
01:21:48,282 --> 01:21:50,043
Everything pointed
to Lord Lucan.
1527
01:21:51,596 --> 01:21:54,909
The problem for them is they
were never ever able to speak
1528
01:21:54,910 --> 01:21:57,325
to him because he disappeared
1529
01:21:57,326 --> 01:21:59,535
and has never been
seen for 50 years.
1530
01:22:01,571 --> 01:22:03,641
There are all these
unanswered questions,
1531
01:22:03,642 --> 01:22:05,712
but it may be that they're
just unanswered questions
1532
01:22:05,713 --> 01:22:08,025
for YouTubers and podcasters.
1533
01:22:08,026 --> 01:22:11,097
And the fact is we
still know who did it.
1534
01:22:11,098 --> 01:22:13,410
If I had to put forward a
theory, I'd probably say Lucan
1535
01:22:13,411 --> 01:22:16,862
employed a hitman and that's
why they got the wrong woman
1536
01:22:19,210 --> 01:22:21,728
and attacked
Veronica in a panic.
1537
01:22:21,729 --> 01:22:23,766
But even that doesn't
fit all the facts.
1538
01:22:25,112 --> 01:22:27,148
We all have our views
1539
01:22:27,149 --> 01:22:31,635
and thoughts as to what may
have happened to Lord Lucan.
1540
01:22:31,636 --> 01:22:35,363
From my perspective,
there's nothing to suggest
1541
01:22:35,364 --> 01:22:37,710
that he committed suicide.
1542
01:22:37,711 --> 01:22:39,884
For me, it would suggest that
1543
01:22:39,885 --> 01:22:42,749
after the event
somebody helped him
1544
01:22:42,750 --> 01:22:47,133
to possibly leave the country
at some point in time.
1545
01:22:47,134 --> 01:22:50,102
It didn't have to be in
the first 48, 72 hours.
1546
01:22:50,103 --> 01:22:52,759
It could be a week,
two weeks after
1547
01:22:52,760 --> 01:22:56,591
and has probably been
able to look after him
1548
01:22:56,592 --> 01:22:58,662
and support him over the years.
1549
01:22:58,663 --> 01:23:00,112
That is my own personal view.
1550
01:23:00,113 --> 01:23:02,631
I know other people
may probably disagree,
1551
01:23:02,632 --> 01:23:06,842
but it seems too convenient
for someone to have disappeared
1552
01:23:06,843 --> 01:23:09,569
after such a
significant incident
1553
01:23:09,570 --> 01:23:13,505
and not be found for 50 years
without having some help.
1554
01:23:14,851 --> 01:23:18,578
I still don't believe
Lord Lucan did it.
1555
01:23:18,579 --> 01:23:19,821
No way.
1556
01:23:19,822 --> 01:23:23,721
I don't see him hurting a fly.
1557
01:23:23,722 --> 01:23:26,552
I never allow
myself to judge her.
1558
01:23:26,553 --> 01:23:31,040
They were both lost creatures
in this world of madness.
1559
01:23:34,423 --> 01:23:36,734
[gentle music]
1560
01:23:36,735 --> 01:23:41,394
The trouble with this
story is so many hangers on
1561
01:23:41,395 --> 01:23:46,435
after the event were just
saying the most unbelievable.
1562
01:23:47,608 --> 01:23:51,094
I still hear things from
people who say, "Oh,
1563
01:23:51,095 --> 01:23:52,578
"Veronica did this."
1564
01:23:52,579 --> 01:23:57,549
or "Do you know Lucan was
fed to a bunch of tigers?"
1565
01:23:58,412 --> 01:24:00,965
And it's all, it's a story
1566
01:24:00,966 --> 01:24:04,591
that breeds a lot
of real nonsense.
1567
01:24:05,799 --> 01:24:07,144
I've heard the stories
1568
01:24:07,145 --> 01:24:10,078
of Aspinall feeding
Lucan into the tigers.
1569
01:24:10,079 --> 01:24:12,770
I would've believed it more
if he'd fed him to pigs
1570
01:24:12,771 --> 01:24:14,669
'cause pigs will eat anything.
1571
01:24:14,670 --> 01:24:17,569
It's never really
rung true with me.
1572
01:24:19,088 --> 01:24:22,056
Aspinall wasn't a
close friend of his.
1573
01:24:22,057 --> 01:24:24,472
He didn't particularly
like Lucan,
1574
01:24:24,473 --> 01:24:26,612
but Lucan was very useful to him
1575
01:24:26,613 --> 01:24:28,510
because he was seen
1576
01:24:28,511 --> 01:24:32,652
as an aristocratic playing
member at the club,
1577
01:24:32,653 --> 01:24:36,277
an attraction to others
to go to Aspinall's clubs.
1578
01:24:36,278 --> 01:24:39,073
I can think of no reason on
earth that he would've gone
1579
01:24:39,074 --> 01:24:42,869
to the trouble of trying
to feed, you know,
1580
01:24:42,870 --> 01:24:44,527
Lucan to the tigers.
1581
01:24:45,804 --> 01:24:47,012
What happened to him?
1582
01:24:47,875 --> 01:24:49,428
I don't believe he's dead.
1583
01:24:49,429 --> 01:24:53,639
He may by now have
died of natural causes.
1584
01:24:53,640 --> 01:24:56,298
He will be 90 very soon.
1585
01:24:57,678 --> 01:25:01,957
But his father lived
to a decent age.
1586
01:25:01,958 --> 01:25:06,893
So if you accept that he ran
away that night and escaped,
1587
01:25:06,894 --> 01:25:11,934
then he may well
still be out there.
1588
01:25:12,521 --> 01:25:14,108
But the family
1589
01:25:14,109 --> 01:25:17,352
and friends of his have tried
very hard through the years
1590
01:25:17,353 --> 01:25:20,700
to suggest that he took
the honourable course
1591
01:25:20,701 --> 01:25:22,150
and killed himself.
1592
01:25:22,151 --> 01:25:25,395
But I've never believed
that for one moment,
1593
01:25:25,396 --> 01:25:28,985
it's very hard to kill yourself
and hide your own body.
1594
01:25:30,539 --> 01:25:34,025
[suspenseful music]
1595
01:25:36,303 --> 01:25:39,271
Veronica had a really
tough time after all this.
1596
01:25:39,272 --> 01:25:41,342
She got these head wounds.
1597
01:25:41,343 --> 01:25:42,895
She was in hospital.
1598
01:25:42,896 --> 01:25:46,795
She sort of seemed
to cut herself off.
1599
01:25:46,796 --> 01:25:51,766
Her life did start to
sort of fall apart really.
1600
01:25:51,767 --> 01:25:55,701
She did in fact lose her
children at the end of it all.
1601
01:25:55,702 --> 01:25:57,565
[Interviewer] Are you
going to start proceedings
1602
01:25:57,566 --> 01:26:00,809
to get your husband
declared legally dead?
1603
01:26:00,810 --> 01:26:02,847
- No, I'm not.
- Why not?
1604
01:26:04,400 --> 01:26:05,953
Because I don't think he is.
1605
01:26:08,163 --> 01:26:09,749
[Interviewer] Would it not
make a difference to your life
1606
01:26:09,750 --> 01:26:11,165
if you did?
1607
01:26:11,166 --> 01:26:14,858
As far as the last seven
years have shown me,
1608
01:26:14,859 --> 01:26:17,343
it would make
absolutely no difference
1609
01:26:17,344 --> 01:26:19,380
to my life whatsoever.
1610
01:26:19,381 --> 01:26:22,521
Apart from doing
something which I don't
1611
01:26:22,522 --> 01:26:24,247
really believe to be true.
1612
01:26:24,248 --> 01:26:25,834
[Interviewer] Do you
think you'll see him again?
1613
01:26:25,835 --> 01:26:27,284
I always hope to,
1614
01:26:27,285 --> 01:26:29,976
but I have a feeling that
I won't see him again.
1615
01:26:29,977 --> 01:26:31,323
I don't think he'll come back.
1616
01:26:31,324 --> 01:26:33,533
He'll have made another
life for himself.
1617
01:26:35,397 --> 01:26:38,364
I always hope though,
there's always a possibility.
1618
01:26:38,365 --> 01:26:40,159
How has life changed for you?
1619
01:26:40,160 --> 01:26:41,782
What do you do from day to day?
1620
01:26:42,990 --> 01:26:47,270
It's changed to one
day is like another.
1621
01:26:47,271 --> 01:26:50,376
It's like being isolated.
1622
01:26:50,377 --> 01:26:52,034
It's worse than being in prison
1623
01:26:53,484 --> 01:26:58,040
because I haven't got any prison
inmates with me to talk to.
1624
01:26:58,868 --> 01:27:00,180
I'm in solitary confinement
1625
01:27:01,561 --> 01:27:05,219
and I feel hostility from
those that I knew before.
1626
01:27:05,220 --> 01:27:10,051
She lived in the muse house
behind Lower Belgrave Street.
1627
01:27:10,052 --> 01:27:13,813
And then she would occasionally
say, "I still adore John."
1628
01:27:13,814 --> 01:27:15,953
As she called him, Lucan.
1629
01:27:15,954 --> 01:27:17,232
She kept his portrait.
1630
01:27:19,648 --> 01:27:23,340
She's very
complicated, Veronica.
1631
01:27:23,341 --> 01:27:26,930
She deliberately went on
television near the end
1632
01:27:26,931 --> 01:27:31,417
of her life and just to
reassert her version of events,
1633
01:27:31,418 --> 01:27:34,834
[gentle music]
1634
01:27:34,835 --> 01:27:37,217
she was brilliant,
absolutely brilliant
1635
01:27:38,563 --> 01:27:40,841
'cause I think it did
worry her that people said,
1636
01:27:42,981 --> 01:27:46,501
you know, some of this
evidence is a bit conflicting.
1637
01:27:46,502 --> 01:27:51,057
She did have friends, but
she seemed still to be
1638
01:27:51,058 --> 01:27:54,785
very, I don't know if she
was obsessed with Lucan,
1639
01:27:54,786 --> 01:27:56,373
but I think the idea
of having married him,
1640
01:27:56,374 --> 01:27:57,996
I think that still pleased her.
1641
01:27:59,619 --> 01:28:02,414
I saw her near Buckingham
Palace not that long
1642
01:28:02,415 --> 01:28:03,898
before she died actually.
1643
01:28:03,899 --> 01:28:07,040
And she looked very, you
know, she was immaculate
1644
01:28:09,387 --> 01:28:12,079
like older ladies
in the 1970s really.
1645
01:28:13,943 --> 01:28:15,634
She died in 2017.
1646
01:28:15,635 --> 01:28:19,432
It seems a very difficult life.
1647
01:28:21,641 --> 01:28:23,158
Veronica said towards
the end of her life,
1648
01:28:23,159 --> 01:28:25,713
her biggest fear was
becoming dependent on others
1649
01:28:25,714 --> 01:28:28,578
and that she supported
assisted suicide.
1650
01:28:28,579 --> 01:28:31,166
And I don't think
it's any real surprise
1651
01:28:31,167 --> 01:28:34,687
that she was subsequently
found dead in her own home.
1652
01:28:34,688 --> 01:28:38,691
And it was presumed that she
had indeed taken her own life.
1653
01:28:38,692 --> 01:28:41,660
There is something
really very pitiful
1654
01:28:41,661 --> 01:28:43,939
about the whole episode.
1655
01:28:45,837 --> 01:28:49,771
She was quite a
feisty lady who was able
1656
01:28:49,772 --> 01:28:51,084
to stick up for herself.
1657
01:28:52,499 --> 01:28:55,709
I met her many years
after this all happened.
1658
01:28:57,573 --> 01:29:00,851
I went to her house
and I spoke to her
1659
01:29:00,852 --> 01:29:04,199
and she invited me in
knowing I was a journalist
1660
01:29:04,200 --> 01:29:05,994
or knowing as I
was then an author.
1661
01:29:05,995 --> 01:29:08,549
I wanted to write
a book about it.
1662
01:29:08,550 --> 01:29:10,136
So I introduced myself.
1663
01:29:10,137 --> 01:29:14,071
She invited me into a little
tiny living room that she had
1664
01:29:14,072 --> 01:29:16,039
and she actually brought out tea
1665
01:29:16,040 --> 01:29:17,697
and we had a cup
of tea together.
1666
01:29:19,112 --> 01:29:21,907
And she was pleasant and helpful
1667
01:29:21,908 --> 01:29:26,532
and she tried to paint Lord
Lucan in quite a good light.
1668
01:29:26,533 --> 01:29:29,742
She wasn't desperately
nasty about him at all.
1669
01:29:29,743 --> 01:29:34,057
And I went back the very next
day, banged on the same door
1670
01:29:34,058 --> 01:29:38,199
and she opened the door and
threw a cup of urine in over me
1671
01:29:38,200 --> 01:29:40,408
and started literally
in the middle
1672
01:29:40,409 --> 01:29:43,480
of the street screaming
I was gutter press
1673
01:29:43,481 --> 01:29:45,758
and I should F off.
1674
01:29:45,759 --> 01:29:49,210
And I told that story
to Bill Shand Kydd,
1675
01:29:49,211 --> 01:29:52,869
who'd raised her children and
knew her very well indeed.
1676
01:29:52,870 --> 01:29:55,976
And he said, "Oh, that
was typical Veronica."
1677
01:29:59,428 --> 01:30:00,946
I think what was very touching
1678
01:30:00,947 --> 01:30:03,293
and really in some ways typical
of what we've got to know
1679
01:30:03,294 --> 01:30:07,849
of Veronica, that she was able
to recognise that the tragedy
1680
01:30:07,850 --> 01:30:10,369
of their marriage and the
discord in that marriage led
1681
01:30:10,370 --> 01:30:12,889
to the loss of
Sandra Rivett's life
1682
01:30:12,890 --> 01:30:15,685
and how sorry she
was about that.
1683
01:30:15,686 --> 01:30:17,997
And that there was nothing
she could do about that,
1684
01:30:17,998 --> 01:30:21,863
but that she would
never forget her or it.
1685
01:30:21,864 --> 01:30:26,869
And that really speaks to
Veronica's humanity, her empathy,
1686
01:30:28,146 --> 01:30:32,357
and also to a sisterhood,
if you like, almost,
1687
01:30:33,531 --> 01:30:37,120
with a fellow woman who
hadn't had an easy path
1688
01:30:37,121 --> 01:30:40,295
and who'd got caught
up in a psychodrama
1689
01:30:40,296 --> 01:30:42,919
that was really of
none of her doing.
1690
01:30:42,920 --> 01:30:45,509
[gentle piano music]
1691
01:30:46,924 --> 01:30:50,582
Sandra's sister described
her in the newspapers.
1692
01:30:50,583 --> 01:30:52,894
She said she was fun-loving.
1693
01:30:52,895 --> 01:30:56,415
She was, you know,
up for a laugh.
1694
01:30:56,416 --> 01:31:01,317
She was sociable, she
was kind, thoughtful.
1695
01:31:02,387 --> 01:31:05,010
Just all the things
that make you
1696
01:31:05,011 --> 01:31:09,497
think she was actually
a lovely young woman.
1697
01:31:09,498 --> 01:31:14,365
And it it just very, very
poignant tribute to her.
1698
01:31:19,750 --> 01:31:21,164
John actually,
1699
01:31:21,165 --> 01:31:24,961
her last boyfriend said
she was a really good girl.
1700
01:31:24,962 --> 01:31:27,446
He actually was deeply one
of the most touching bits
1701
01:31:27,447 --> 01:31:29,621
of the case, but
never gets heard.
1702
01:31:29,622 --> 01:31:31,208
She was a lovely lass.
1703
01:31:31,209 --> 01:31:33,832
She might have had a
rather lovely future
1704
01:31:33,833 --> 01:31:35,765
after a bit of a
questionable start in life.
1705
01:31:35,766 --> 01:31:36,629
Poor girl.
1706
01:31:39,528 --> 01:31:42,461
John Hankins talked to
the papers quite a lot
1707
01:31:42,462 --> 01:31:44,705
after it all happened.
1708
01:31:44,706 --> 01:31:47,466
He gave the impression
that they might have gone
1709
01:31:47,467 --> 01:31:51,091
to Australia, they might have
had a happy life together.
1710
01:31:55,579 --> 01:31:58,582
She was a lovely
girl, lovely nature.
1711
01:31:59,928 --> 01:32:02,309
And it's sad really 'cause
she didn't deserve that,
1712
01:32:03,448 --> 01:32:05,002
didn't have a bad
bone in her at all.
1713
01:32:12,906 --> 01:32:15,530
[bright music]
1714
01:32:19,464 --> 01:32:22,190
I think it's so often
the case when we report
1715
01:32:22,191 --> 01:32:25,987
or record crime, the
victim gets overlooked
1716
01:32:25,988 --> 01:32:27,782
time and time again.
1717
01:32:27,783 --> 01:32:31,130
And when we refer to
the case of Lord Lucan,
1718
01:32:31,131 --> 01:32:34,893
can we please put
before his name,
1719
01:32:34,894 --> 01:32:38,724
the name of the
victim of the murder.
1720
01:32:38,725 --> 01:32:41,244
She was called Sandra Rivett,
1721
01:32:41,245 --> 01:32:42,832
and she lost her life on
1722
01:32:42,833 --> 01:32:46,733
that night in a basement
in London in 1974.
1723
01:32:47,631 --> 01:32:49,494
The innocent victim of the case.
1724
01:32:51,324 --> 01:32:53,947
[bright music]
1725
01:33:14,968 --> 01:33:18,420
[bright music continues]
1726
01:33:28,016 --> 01:33:31,053
[bright music ends]
129114
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