Listeners to the Mail’s ground-breaking podcast The Trial of Lord Lucan yesterday overwhelmingly found him guilty of the murder of his family’s nanny and near-fatal attack on his estranged wife.
Of the many thousands who joined an online jury, 84 per cent said he murdered Sandra Rivett and attempted to murder Veronica, the mother of his three children.
But 16 per cent declared him innocent, making the outcome closer than many might have expected. Had a few dozen more cleared him, the jury would have been hung if applying the same rules as real trials where judges accept 10-2 majority verdicts.
The decisions were announced in a special episode of The Trial of Lord Lucan, a podcast sensation which reached No 1 in the true crime charts for Apple and Spotify, and made the top ten overall in the UK. The mock trial enthralled audiences just as the world has been captivated by the enduring mystery.
The Lucan affair scandalised Britain when the peer went on the run after Mrs Rivett, 29, was bludgeoned to death with a lead pipe in the basement kitchen at the Belgravia mansion.
It has been almost 50 years since British aristocrat Lord Lucan, 39, vanished without a trace
Barrister Max Hardy (right) prosecuted Lord Lucan in the trial, while Edward Henry KC is acting for the defence
The Earl disappeared after his children’s nanny Sandra Rivett was murdered in the family home
The blood-soaked basement with Sandra Rivett’s body inside a mail sack beside a cast-off shoe
Lady Lucan, who was involved in a bitter custody battle with him and who was believed to be the intended victim, suffered serious head injuries.
Every day last week, in a world-exclusive podcast event, listeners heard the evidence against Lucan, who disappeared within hours of the attacks in 1974 and has never been seen since.
The Crown’s case was finally laid bare when the Mail obtained a previously confidential police report written in 1975, which detailed why detectives thought he committed the crimes.
New episodes told how Lucan’s Old Bailey trial may have unfolded had he been caught.
Two of Britain’s most eminent barristers – Max Hardy and Edward Henry KC – presented the prosecution and defence cases in meticulous detail.
Lord Lucan’s wife Veronica Mary Duncan suffered a near-fatal assault on the same night
The Trial of Lord Lucan: Follow The Mail’s brand new podcast wherever you get your podcasts
Lady Lucan with Frances and George, two of the three children she had with her husband
At the end of the five-day trial on Friday, the audience could vote on MailOnline whether the 7th Earl of Lucan was responsible for the crimes. By the noon deadline on Sunday, there had been a staggering response.
Of those who gave reasons, the key factors for a guilty verdict included Lord Lucan vanishing without trying to clear his name and circumstantial evidence, such as Lord Lucan’s possible affairs, debts and tempestuous relationship with his wife.
But some felt the evidence was not irrefutable or there were inconsistencies in Lady Lucan’s account plus they felt she had a clear motive to accuse him.
Doubts were raised about the poor crime scene preservation and some believed another person may have been involved.
Hear the special verdict episode at dailymail.co.uk/lucan
