SUSAN Maxwell-Scott was the last person to see Lord Lucan alive, an aristocratic man who is thought to have murdered his children’s nanny.
A new BBC documentary named Lucan will dive into the shocking details of the real-life case and will examine evidence given by Susan at the time of her friend’s disappearance.
Susan maintained that Lucan was innocent until she diedNews Group Newspapers Ltd
Lucan murdered Sandra when she was just 29-years-oldGetty Images
Gossip column debutante
Susan was a debutante in the 1950s and was regularly featured in gossip columns, after she had her coming-out dance (an event which introduces debutantes to high society) in 1954.
She was said to be very intelligent and passed her bar exams in 1957.
When she announced her intention to marry Ian Maxwell-Scott, her father voiced his opposition to the match.
Ian was a professional gambler and croupier, who was nine years older than Susie, but he did have some noble connections.
He was a descendant of Sir Walter Scott and his father was an aide-de-camp to King George V.
Eventually, Susan married Ian on Valentine’s Day 1958 but her father did not attend the wedding.
She had six children with her husband and the pair raised their sons and daughters at their family home in Uckfield, Sussex.
Aristocratic life
The Maxwell-Scotts became close friends with Lord Lucan because Ian shared an interest with the aristocrat: gambling.
Susan told News of the World that Lucan often told her about the problems in his marriage to a model named Veronica Duncan.
She said: “I can’t exactly pinpoint the break-up in the marriage of the Lucans, John and Veronica.
“They often used to bring their family down to our house in Sussex for quiet weekend parties.
“We’d play tennis, swim in our pool, or perhaps play croquet.
“There were certainly no scenes.
“But John did talk to me about difficulties.
“He said Veronica had the feeling that all his friends were against her and trying to come between them.
“And she didn’t want to go away and stay with friends.”
Veronica would later claim that Lucan was abusive towards her and said that he would beat her with a cain.
Susan defends her accused friend
Lord Lucan went on the run, after a terrifying murder at his ex-wife’s home in West London.
He had split up from his wife Veronica in 1973, just a year before the murder took place on November 7, 1974.
The family’s nanny, Sandra Rivett was murdered in the basement that night and Veronica was also attacked when she went into the basement.
Veronica claimed that Lucan was the man that attacked her and Sandra and was said to have escaped into a nearby pub where she called for help.
She was drenched in blood and said: “He’s in the house.
“He’s murdered the nanny”
Lucan fled after his crime and hid overnight at the Maxwell-Scotts’ family home.
Susan later opened up about that tense evening to the News of the World.
She said: “’My husband was in London, so I went to bed early.
“I was sort of asleep when I heard the doorbell ring.
“I went to the bathroom, which overlooks the front door, looked out and saw John.
“He shouted up something like ‘Susie, I’m sorry to disturb you so late.’
Susan also described Lucan’s version of events: ‘He had a key to the front door and hurried downstairs to the basement.
“When he entered the room, he slipped in a pool of blood and the man ran off.
“I asked him about the man, and he said he hadn’t got a clear sight of him, but he was large.
“He said he didn’t know him.
“He said the sight in there was absolutely awful.
“He was very distressed at this point and briefly covered his face with his hand.”
Eventually, an inquest found that Lucan had been responsible for the nightmarish attack on Sandra and Veronica.
DCS Roy Ranson, who led the murder investigation said that he did not believe Susan’s and Lucan’s version of events.
He said: “’During the course of this investigation, I have been led to believe Mrs Maxwell-Scott had an infatuation for Lord Lucan and this may well be the reason for her reluctance in telling the whole truth.”
Eventually, Susan passed away at the age of 67 in 2004 over a decade later than her husband.
Their marriage had become an unhappy one, since Susan found her intelligence clashed with her role as Ian’s wife.
Reportedly, she became known to drink sherry with breakfast and was known to have flashes of bizarre or aggressive behaviour.
Veronica Duncan, Lucan’s wife, did not like her ex-husband’s friendsHulton Archive- getty
A BBC documentary
Lucan’s shocking crime will be explored in an eponymous BBC documentary series, which will air on November 6, 2024.
The three-part series will focus on Sandra’s son, a builder named Neil Berriman, who was unaware of his mother’s identity for much of his life.
He had been put up for adoption as a baby and only learned who his mother was at the age of 40.
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