Search for Earl Missing in France Upgraded to Murder Inquiry

The heir of a British peer missing in the south of France said yesterday he feared the worst as detectives upgraded the investigation into his father's disappearance to a murder inquiry.

The colourful lifestyle of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 66, the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury, has led police over the past six weeks to hostess bars and clubs in Cannes during their attempts to trace his movements.

Scores of people have been interviewed in Sussex, where the earl had a home, and in Cannes, where he was a well-known, if eccentric figure.

Lord Shaftesbury's second wife, Lady Shaftesbury, and his two sons, Anthony and Nicholas, spent last week in France helping police with their inquiries. They were told that detectives were looking for the earl's killer, after six weeks during which he has made no contact with relatives or friends nor touched any of his bank accounts.

Lord Ashley, the earl's son and heir, said in a statement yesterday that his family were extremely concerned about his father's disappearance.

"We fear the worst," he said. "We have visited the French investigation in Nice and are convinced that everything that could be done to ascertain my father's fate is being done."

The earl had gone to the south of France for a trip combining holiday and business, on November 3, police in Sussex said yesterday.

When he failed to contact members of his family police received calls from friends, his sister and others, alerting them to their concerns.

French detectives are investigating whether he might have fallen victim to Russian gangs, who operate in Cannes. They have recovered a number of stolen items previously stolen from his house in Paris as part of the investigation.