Did Lord Lucan Escape?

Is there any evidence, either way, that Lucan got away or killed himself?

The beauty of this mystery is that there is not one shred of evidence either way. The last we know of Lucan is that he dumped his getaway vehicle in Newhaven - and for the rest of it, you can plump for any theory you like.

It is more than possible that Lucan is still alive today. He was only 39 when Sandra Rivett was murdered, and would now be 74.

But in my research for “Lord Lucan: My Story”, I do believe that I came across a new fact. A very small fact, but nonetheless new. Make of it what you will.

As I immersed myself in the lives of Jimmy Goldsmith and John Aspinall, I was particularly struck by this pair’s utter certainty that Lucan was dead. They were completely adamant that Lucan had managed to kill himself whilst at the same time entirely destroying his body.

Other members of the Clermont set were all saying the same thing. Every one of them, almost without exception, was saying over and over again that Lucan was dead.

This is what Aspinall said shortly before his own death in 2000: “Lord Lucan tied a stone around his body and scuttled the powerboat he kept at Newhaven and down he went. I think it’s a very brave thing.”

As for Goldsmith, when asked about Lord Lucan he merely replied, “I’m convinced he’s dead. He was so English, the idea of him living anywhere else except England is absurd.”

It is possible to take these two comments at face value - except when you consider the fact that both Aspinall and Goldsmith were two complete rogues. The pair of them were both consummate liars.

Fortunately, the ever-litigious Goldsmith has passed away; no-one would have dared call him a liar in his life-time. Thankfully though, today’s libel laws do indeed allow us to speak ill of the dead.

And what we do know about Sir Jimmy is that he was a notoriously shady businessman as well as a perpetual womaniser. It was Goldsmith who said that when a man married his mistress, he created a vacancy.

As for the millionaire gambler Aspinall, he had such a low opinion of mankind that he said he’d be “happy to see three and a half billion humans wiped off the face of the earth”.

Aspinall was like some Victorian throwback who did what he pleased and didn’t give a damn for the consequences. He used to take his pet Siberian tigress walking at night in London - though when the tigress killed a local dog, Aspinall blithely continued on his way without saying a word.

If ever there were two rogues who had the means, motive and opportunity to spirit Lucan out of the country, it was Goldsmith and Aspinall. They were both immensely rich; they had a wealth of low-life contacts in London; and more tellingly, perhaps, would not have thought twice about breaking the law to help a friend.

More to the point, the buccaneering Aspinall would, I believe, have revelled in the adventure of spiriting Lucan away from England.

And what of Lucan himself? Was it possible, even likely, that he had committed suicide?

Aspinall certainly did his best to suggest that the Old Etonian Earl had killed himself “out of shame” for having botched his wife’s murder. But I would suggest that this was merely the Clermont Set muddying the water as they continued to look after their old mate.

For me, it is far more plausible that Lucan saw it through to the end. He was, after all, a professional gambler - and a gambler does not throw in his hand just because he does not like the look of the cards.

The story of Lord Lucan can be found in William Coles' brilliantly edited
Lord Lucan: My Story