Neil Berriman recently faced a life-altering moment that sent him spiraling back to his past.
The son of Sandra Rivett, the nanny murdered by Lord Lucan, couldn’t hold back his tears as he recounted the shocking revelation of his true heritage.
Sandra was only 29 when her lifeless body was discovered stuffed in a mail sack in Lord Lucan’s townhouse basement in Belgravia back in November 1974.
Following the tragic events, Lord Lucan disappeared, last seen at his friend Ian Maxwell-Scott’s home in Uckfield, Sussex.
He confided in his friend’s wife about having endured a “traumatic night of unbelievable coincidence” and decided to go into hiding.
Despite being declared “presumed dead” in 2015, Lucan has never faced justice for Sandra’s murder, even though an inquest in 1975 found him guilty.
Reflecting on the Past
As the 50th anniversary of this infamous case approaches, Neil has stepped into the public eye, appearing in the new BBC Two documentary series, Lucan.
In the premiere episode airing this Wednesday at 9 PM, Neil, who hails from Petersfield, Hampshire, opened up about the years of uncertainty surrounding his identity.
His adoptive mother, Audrey, often encouraged him to explore a mysterious brown envelope containing the truth about his family.
“Whenever she mentioned it, I would dismiss it, saying, ‘No, mum. I’m not interested in that,’” Neil recalled.
However, Audrey’s words lingered, especially when she suggested he would find the answers he needed when the time was right—right before she passed away from cancer.
Unraveling Family Secrets
Three years later, Neil finally mustered the courage to open that long-forgotten envelope.
Inside were papers related to his adoption and a Mail on Sunday article from 1994.
The article featured Stephen Hensby, a man who discovered after his mother’s death that Sandra was not just his sister but his mother.
“In 2007, I had only the slightest understanding of the Lucan affair,” Neil shared. “But then it all clicked into place.”
The adoption order revealed that Neil’s birth name was Gary Roger Hensby.
With this newfound information, he deduced that Stephen was his brother.
Yet, the connection to Sandra felt distant until he realized her full name was Sandra Eleanor Hensby.
Reflecting on this emotional revelation, Neil struggled to contain his tears.
“I am the son of Sandra Eleanor Hensby—the nanny murdered by Lord Lucan in 1974.
You don’t expect to find out something like this after being adopted.
The odds of uncovering that your mother is linked to one of the biggest murder mysteries ever? It’s hard to fathom.”
The Tragic Background
Sandra’s life was fraught with challenges.
In March 1964, she had her first son, Stephen, with her fiancé, John, whose relationship was already crumbling.
To complicate matters, Sandra gave Stephen her surname, and the following year, her parents officially adopted him.
Two years later, in 1966, she gave birth to Neil, fathered by a married man who had employed her as a housekeeper.
The adoption agency noted that Sandra felt she couldn’t raise the baby properly.
Later, she married Roger Rivett, a Royal Navy officer, but their marriage ended in divorce six years later.
Tragically, she had only been working for Lord Lucan and his wife, Veronica, for ten weeks before her murder.
The Night of the Incident
On the night of November 7, 1974, Sandra was with Lady Lucan and the couple’s children when she asked if Lady Lucan wanted tea.
After Sandra went downstairs to the kitchen, Lady Lucan grew concerned when Sandra didn’t return.
When she checked on her, she was struck over the head and attacked by Lord Lucan, whom she recognized by voice.
During the struggle, Lady Lucan bit his fingers, and after a frantic exchange, he admitted to killing Sandra, stating, “if it had been you, you would have got it.”
Lady Lucan managed to escape to a nearby pub, where she raised the alarm.
When police arrived at the Lucan residence, they discovered Sandra’s body hidden in a canvas mailbag.
In a desperate bid to evade capture, Lord Lucan was believed to have fled to Newhaven harbor, where his car was later found abandoned.
The Aftermath and Reflections
The inquiry into Sandra’s death concluded with a verdict of “Murder by Lord Lucan.”
Neil expressed that he doesn’t harbor anger towards his mother for placing him up for adoption.
He believes she acted in his best interest.
“Everyone tells me Sandra loved children, even if she couldn’t raise her own,” he said.
“I like to think that if she were alive, she would be happy to know I found her and that we could have built a relationship.”
You can catch the first episode of Lucan this Wednesday on BBC Two, and it’s also available for streaming on BBC iPlayer.
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