Missing Lord Lucan not dead - official decision on 'killer' must wait until spring
THE son of missing peer Lord Lucan must wait until the spring for a decision on whether his father can be declared "officially dead".
Lord Lucan has not been seen since 1974
A High Court case brought by Lucan's only son George Bingham will be heard in February or March.
The peer has not been seen since his children's nanny Sandra Rivett was found murdered at their home in London's Belgravia in 1974.
John Bingham, the 7th Earl, is suspected of battering 29-year-old Miss Rivett in mistake for his estranged wife.
It is widely assumed that the missing peer, who would be 81 next week, committed suicide shortly afterwards.
Lucan's son George Bingham, wants his father to be declared dead
But no trace of his body has ever been found.
His 48-year-old son, known as Lord Bingham, had his father declared dead at the High Court in 1999.
Since then, there have been several reported "sightings" of him in Australia, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand.
John Bingham and his estranged wife Lady Lucan on their wedding day in 1963
Lord Bingham has applied again under the Presumption of Death Act, 2013.
The earlier declaration had not proved death "for all purposes", says Lord Bingham.
The murder scene of Sandra Rivett
The new law allows for a "more complete process" so he can inherit the title of 8th Earl Lucan.
The legislation was the result of a campaign supported by relatives of high-profile missing people including chef Claudia Lawrence, who disappeared in York in 2009.
The 7th Earl of Lucan was known to be a terrible gambler
However, the application is opposed by Miss Rivett's son Neil Berriman who wants to know the truth about his mother's death before a death certificate is issued.