RETURNING FROM THE WILDERNESS - A GHOST IN SEARCH OF VENGEANCE?

Michael Barrymore is suing police who arrested him for allegedly murdering Stuart Lubbock after he died in the star's swimming pool at a party 14 years ago

Mr Lubbock, 31, was violently sexually assaulted before he died in 2001
He had met Barrymore at a nightclub in Harlow, Essex, earlier that evening
TV star was arrested on suspicion of serious sexual assault and murder
He is now seeking damages for the harm to his reputation and career

By Amanda Williams for MailOnline

Published: 14:06 GMT, 7 July 2015 | Updated: 15:11 GMT, 7 July 2015

Michael Barrymore is suing police who arrested him for allegedly murdering a man who died in his swimming pool at a party in 2001 because it 'damaged his career'.

The former TV star was arrested following the death of Stuart Lubbock after he was found floating in a pool at Barrymore's then home in Roydon, Essex.

According to forensic reports father-of-two Mr Lubbock, 31, was violently sexually assaulted before he died.
Michael Barrymore is suing police who arrested him in 2001 for allegedly murdering a man who died in his swimming pool at a party

The former TV star was arrested following the death of Stuart Lubbock 14 years ago after he was found floating in a pool at Barrymore's then home in Roydon, Essex

He had met Barrymore at a nightclub in Harlow, Essex, earlier that evening before going back to his house for an all-night party.

Barrymore, 63, fled the scene after the death, later claiming he had panicked and wasn't trying to hide.

The former Strike It Lucky host refused to answer any questions about the tragedy at an inquest, after taking legal advice.

The inquest heard traces of cocaine, ecstasy and alcohol were in the victim's body.

Barrymore - whose real name is Michael Parker - was one of four men arrested on suspicion of serious sexual assault and murder in 2008 following a review of the police investigation, but all were later released without charge.

He is now seeking damages for the harm to his reputation and money-spinning career which collapsed.

Mr Lubbock's father Terry, 70, who campaigned for years for justice, is in poor health and living in a care home. He said: 'I will never give up fighting for justice for my son'

In 2002 ITV failed to renew the entertainer's £2million a year contract. He moved to New Zealand, filed for bankruptcy after a £1million-plus tax demand and later tried to resurrect his career in Britain by appearing in Celebrity Big Brother in 2006.

Since then he has largely disappeared from TV, turning up only a few times on obscure shows, before featuring in a one-hour long Jeremy Kyle Show special on ITV in June 2014 when he insisted he had been 'clean' of alcohol and drugs for three years.

He was working in a garden centre and doing odd-job building work near his home in Essex.

Mr Lubbock's father Terry, 70, who campaigned for years for justice, is in poor health and living in a care home.

He confirmed he had been informed by Essex Police that Barrymore has issued a writ against them in the High Court.

He said: 'I am totally disgusted by this and I can't believe the audacity of Barrymore.

'Perhaps one good thing will be if someone feels the same way I do and comes forward with new information about my son Stuart's death.

'I will never give up fighting for justice for my son.'

Essex Police said: 'As civil proceedings are currently ongoing it would be inappropriate for Essex Police to comment.'

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BARRYMORE TO SUE ESSEX POLICE - Article in Harlow Star and my response by Letter to the Editor
Post Tony Bennett Today at 11:13 pm

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LETTER FROM TONY BENNETT

66 Chippingfield, HARLOW, Essex, CM17 0DJ

Friday 10 July 2015

Dear Editor

In last week’s edition, your headline referred to the ‘pool death’ of Stuart Lubbock. The caption under a photo of Michael Barrymore mentioned the ‘death of Stuart Lubbock in Barrymore’s swimming pool’, and your article . stated Stuart’s body was ‘found in the star’s swimming pool’.

It’s true that Barrymore and his associates claimed that Stuart was swimming in his pool in the early hours of Saturday 1 April, but the evidence suggests otherwise.

As you reported, Stuart suffered a ‘violent sexual assault’ that night which was the main cause of death. There are two other unarguable facts: (1) that at 5.46am that morning, Harlow resident Justin Merritt called Essex Ambulance Service, and (2) that when the ambulance staff arrived, they found Stuart’s body, clad only in boxer shorts, by the side of Barrymore’s swimming pool. The question is: what happened before 5.46am?

The pathologist who carried out the post-mortem, the now-discredited Dr Michael Heath, pronounced Stuart’s death a ‘drowning’. But the other three top pathologists called in by the Coroner said Stuart had died from a sexual assault, heart attack and asphyxia. Dr Ian Crane was an acknowledged expert in drowning and was sure that Stuart had not drowned. The petechiae (pin-head blood spots) found around Stuart’s neck and face were clear signs that he had been asphyxiated, not drowned.


Another crucial line of evidence was whether or not anyone was in Barrymore’s outside swimming pool that evening. It was a cold April morning, and, as was admitted at the inquest, the pool had never been opened all winter. There is evidence to suggest that the electrically-operated pool cover was only uncovered after Stuart had died. Essex Police failed to perform a ‘diatom test’ of the pool water which would have established conclusively whether anyone had been in the pool that night.

Another crucial fact was the temperature of the pool water. If the pool had only been opened up after Stuart died, it would have been cold. Amazingly, Essex Police allowed Barrymore’s manager, Mike Browne, who was already at the scene, to provide evidence as to the pool temperature. Not surprisingly, it supported Barrymore’s version of events. As the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) found in their 2008 report on the case: “To ask a member of the public to take the temperature of a pool under such circumstances is a failure to carry out an officer’s duties conscientiously and diligently, contrary to the Code of Conduct”.

Inspector Spooner was also criticised for allowing Barrymore’s manager to remain at the crime scene. The IPCC found: “Inspector Spooner had sufficient reason to regard the incident as suspicious…he should have effectively sealed the scene…which he failed to do. He allowed Mr Browne to remain at the scene, contrary to normal procedures”.

There are those who know what happened that night. Now would be a good opportunity for those who - for whatever reason - have kept silent about that night’s events to tell the police what really did happen.

Yours sincerely

Tony Bennett