The son of the nanny killed by Lord Lucan claims he has found the peer in Australia.
Neil Berriman says Lucan, who vanished after the murder of Sandra Rivett in 1974, lives as a Buddhist in a shared house.
After telling police of his findings, he said: “I know he’s still alive.”
The man he believes to be Lucan is in his mid-80s and seriously ill, awaiting major surgery and virtually housebound in a large shared detached house in the suburbs.
Mr Berriman, 52, has been to Scotland Yard’s Cold Case Unit with his findings, telling them: “I believe I have tracked down the man, Lord Lucan, who murdered my mother.”
He said the officer he spoke to agreed that police must look into his claims. He added: “They will now have to investigate this properly.”
How killer with connections Lord Lucan 'used friends in high places to get away'
Infamous houses where gruesome murders were carried out that are now family homes
The building contractor and father-of-two claims Lucan based himself in Perth on arrival in Australia, but moved to another part of the country after a series of disagreements with pals.
He now has a new group of friends. Two are young Englishmen, and another is an Australian he first met on a Buddhist retreat 11 years ago. They all take part in daily meditation sessions.
The mystery man needs a part-time carer, and often sits on the verandah listening to trains in the distance. The friends confirmed to the Daily Mirror that an elderly Englishman who looks like Lucan lives at the house.
Lord “Lucky” Lucan, who would have turned 85 last month, disappeared after the murder of Miss Rivett at the family’s exclusive mews home in Belgravia, Central London, on November 7, 1974.
Lady Lucan's suicide club where members share tips on how to end their own lives
He had run up huge gambling debts, his volatile marriage to Lady Veronica Lucan had collapsed and the couple were going through a bitter custody battle over their three children.
Police believe he attacked Miss Rivett with a taped-up piece of lead piping after mistaking her for his wife.
After the attack he fled and was last spotted at the manor house home of Peter and Susan Maxwell-Scott in East Sussex.
At the time there were rumours he had committed suicide by throwing himself off a cross-Channel ferry from Newhaven days after the murder. But no body was ever washed up, and the mystery of his disappearance has endured for 46 years. It has always been thought possible that powerful friends may have helped him escape to avoid a lengthy prison sentence.
Lord Lucan was a member of the Clermont Set, a group of powerful, wealthy people including millionaire businessmen Sir James Goldsmith and John Aspinall. There have been sightings in South Africa, the Maldives, India and even India. But, despite extensive police inquiries, he has never been found.
Mr Berriman’s quest began when he discovered 12 years ago that he was Sandra Rivett’s secret son, who had been adopted shortly after birth.
When Lucan was formally declared dead by the High Court on February 3, 2016, he received a detailed tip by letter that Lucan was in fact alive.
He then decided to spend £30,000 of his own cash on a private investigation. As he dug deeper, he claimed evidence showed that Lucan had indeed escaped British justice.
Mr Berriman, who lives with partner Kim in Milland, West Sussex, said: “He has been alive all this time. Lying about who he is. Lying about it to his new friends.
“They are fully aware he is a mystery elderly Englishman and not who he is claiming to be.
“The people he lives with know he has a mystery past and what he tells them does not add up. They have had their suspicions for many years.
“Lucan is a deceitful conman and he is the man who murdered my mother.
“There is absolutely no doubt in my mind he escaped that night, with the help of friends who helped him get across the Channel and get a new passport, and incredibly he is still alive.
“From my own inquiries he’s had at least six different identities but principally he has used becoming a Buddhist monk as his cover.”
The police have asked Mr Berriman to return to them to fully present the evidence painstakingly collected from his personal four-year investigation. Now he is demanding they put a team of detectives together to look into his fresh information fully. Attempts are still being made to try to confirm independently if his claims are true.
Scotland Yard said it would not comment on the case, adding: “Generally however we don’t comment on who we may or may not speak to when/if a case is reviewed.” The mystery man is aware of the claims, but the Mirror has chosen not to reveal his identity.
Mr Berriman admitted the search has taken over his life. He said: “I’ve spent around £30,000 of my own money in this search for the truth.
“I’ve paid for flights, hotels and even expert facial recognition technology for analysis. That showed a similarity of over 85% – and that is taking into account all the plastic surgery he has clearly had. It certainly has all added up.
“It’s taken me all over Australia and it’s taken me to meet all sorts of people who have helped me along the way – my journey to discover the truth.
“But I consider every penny was well spent – it has enabled me to get where we are today. It took over my life but it had to be done. I know some people would say that it’s become an obsession.
“That may be so. But I would simply say to them: put yourself in my shoes.
“What would you do if your mum had been killed, and no one had been brought to justice and the man who killed her was never found? You’d do exactly what I’ve done to discover the truth, I think. This has brought me and my family so much stress and heartache.”
But Mr Berriman added, with a tear in his eye: “There is absolutely no doubt in my mind it was the right thing to do.”
If Lord Lucan is still alive it would have serious repercussions for the current Lord Lucan, George Bingham, who is the son of the fugitive.
George Charles Bingham, the 8th Earl of Lucan, would lose his title and inheritance if his father is still alive.
The earldom of Lucan was created back in 1795 during the reign of King George III.
The Binghams are an Anglo-Irish aristocratic family. Among them were George Bingham, the 3rd Earl of Lucan, who is best remembered for his controversial role in the Crimean War, when he lead the cavalry division involved in the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade.
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