Justice for the nanny murdered by Lord Lucan decades ago began when her son discovered who his birth mother was - despite almost burning the letter that told him about his past.
Neil Berriman discovered his true origin 14 years ago when he finally opened a fading envelope left to him by his adoptive mum, the Mirror reports. Neil originally planned to burn the letter, but said his curiosity got the better of him.
The documents inside revealed his birth mum was the nanny killed by Lucan - Sandra Rivett. The life-changing information lead to the start of his campaign to get her justice in 2008.
Neil finally believes that day has come after a breakthrough of photos of a man living in Australia were deemed a definite match Lord Lucan, by a facial recognition expert.
Professor Hassan Ugail used an artificial intelligence algorithm to run 4000 cross-checks of seven photos – four of Lucan and three of the mystery pensioner living as a Buddhist in Australia. The expert believes it to be a match for the missing aristocrat.
Neil almost threw the envelope about his birth mum on a fire before he decided to open it.
He said: “I opened that envelope and now 14 long years later I believe we have finally found justice for my mum. As I lit the fire I decided the envelope should be consigned to the flames.
“But at the very last second I decided - because curiosity killed the cat - not to destroy it, and to open it.”
The various documents and newspaper clippings had been saved by his adoptive mother Audrey. They revealed that he was Rivett’s son.
Neil recalled: “My life changed forever. When I realised who I was, I felt shocked, shattered, I felt sad. But I still had no idea what lay ahead.”
Sandra had become pregnant with Neil following an affair with a married man, and made the heart-breaking decision to give him up for adoption when he was just six months old.
Neil said: “I don’t blame her for giving me up for adoption. That’s the way things were. She was just 22 and single when she had me in 1967.”
He said: “Even when people didn’t believe me I always knew that I would find justice for my mum.”
But in 2003, his mum Audrey became seriously ill.
Neil said: “About a year before my mum died, she rang me up and said, ‘I have an envelope I want to give to you.’ Now when I look back I think she knew she was dying and she wanted me to know something important.
“She thought that I might want some answers.”
In 2004 Audrey passed away but Neil didn’t actually look for the envelope for another four years. Until one day in 2008 he decided to find it.
He said emotionally: “Four years later I decided I should really go and look for that envelope. My dad was still alive and I waited for him to go out because, again, I didn’t want to upset him in any way.
“The envelope was at their house. I had never seen it. I went in to look for it and I found it hidden under some of my late mum’s clothes, which were still in her bedside unit.”
He took the envelope home and recalled trembling as he opened it. Looking at all the clues, he suddenly realised that he was the son of Rivett.
Neil said: “I took all the contents out and carefully laid them all out. Eventually, because of the contents, including a newspaper cutting about the murder of Sandra Rivett by Lord Lucan, I was able to piece together the jigsaw in about three hours.
“I was Sandra Rivett’s son. She was the woman who had given birth to me.”
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