Michael Barrymore arrested on suspicion of pool murder after police seize tapes

 

TV entertainer held six years after death at cocaine party

 

 

Last updated at 14:57pm on 14th June 2007

Michael Barrymore claims that Stuart Lubbock accidentally drowned

 

Michael Barrymore has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the seizure of a series of taped interviews he made with the brother of X Factor judge Simon Cowell.

 

 

The entertainer, who has been living in New Zealand, was held in London by police re-investigating Stuart Lubbock's death at Barrymore's home in Essex in 2001.

 

In addition, a 32-year-old man was arrested in the Midlands and a 37-year-old was detained in the North-East. All three were held on suspicion of murder and serious sexual assault.

Mr Lubbock's body was found in the swimming pool at Barrymore's Essex mansion after a party in 2001.

An inquest found that he had suffered severe internal injuries which were consistent with a serious sexual assault. Alcohol and the drugs ecstasy and cocaine were also found in his bloodstream.

 

The sensational development came just days after murder squad detectives seized the tapes held in a safe belonging to Tony Cowell.

 

Mr Cowell, a literary agent, made the tapes - believed to contain new information about 31-year-old Mr Lubbock's death - when he was in talks with Barrymore about writing an autobiography.

 

It is understood the pair spoke in depth about the infamous party that took place on 31 March 2001, at the star's Roydon home. However, they fell out and Mr Cowell put the tapes in a safe.

Essex Police seized the tapes at the weekend after learning they were in Mr Cowell's possession.

 

Detectives said the tapes were not directly linked to today's arrests, and they were being viewed as part of the ongoing investigation.

Terry Lubbock, 62, was beaming with joy as he walked to his home in Harlow, Essex, using a stick to lean on.

He said he did not know what new evidence the police had but he was hopeful it would lead to charges.

He said: "I'm really pleased. It feels like the end of a long struggle."

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Victim: Mr Lubbock, left, was found dead in pool at Barrymore's home in 2001

 

More....

• Timeline: How Barrymore pool death unfolded
  
• Barrymore arrest 'final nail in coffin' says Clifford
  
• Profile: Michael Barrymore, fallen entertainer
  
• Barrymore pool death: Father's long fight to find the truth

 

Stuart's older brother Kevin, 39, said he was stunned when he heard the former Strike It Lucky star had been arrested on suspicion of murder.

He said: "I'm really happy this has all come to light. It's been a long time coming, it's been quite a few years.

"One of them (arrested men)is Michael Barrymore, I can't believe it - I'm quite happy about that.

"I can't really believe it, about Michael Barrymore. I'm numb really."

 

Mr Lubbock's grandmother said she was elated at the news of Barrymore's arrest.

Rosina Lubbock, 86, said: "I'm on cloud nine. I almost can't believe it. All along I have just wanted to know what happened to Stuart. I want this to be resolved before I die.

"These arrests have come as a complete surprise, but hopefully now the police are moving things forward and will finally reach a conclusion.

"I'm so happy I can hardly speak, and I'm struggling to take all this in. We never lost faith that the truth would come out."

 

Taped interviews: agent Tony Cowell

 

 

It is the second time Barrymore has been arrested in connection with that night's events at his Roydon home.

 

Three months after Mr Lubbock's death, Barrymore was held on suspicion of possessing class A and class B drugs, as well as other drugs offences.

 

A source said the three men arrested over the death are Barrymore, his ex-lover Jonathan Kenney and Harlow dustman Justin Merritt. Merritt and Kenney were previously arrested on suspicion of murder but were released due to insufficient evidence.

 

Kenney was arrested at his terraced home in Blackpool and was taken by officers from the Lancashire force to the resort main police headquarters in Bonny Street in an operation carried out on behalf of the Essex Constabulary.

 

A former care assistant in a rest home by day, Kenney would spend his nights performing as a drag queen called Raquel. It was while appearing in Blackpool as his alter ego that he met Barrymore. They became partners and eventually Kenney left Blackpool to become a regular member of the Barrymore entourage in London.

 

He returned to Blackpool after the incident involving Stuart Lubbock and started work as a driving instructor.

 

All three men were present at the party on the night of Mr Lubbock's death. Despite evidence suggestive of sexual assault, no one has ever been charged. An inquest in September 2002 returned an open verdict.

 

The body of Mr Lubbock, 31, a butcher, was found floating face-down in a swimming pool at Barrymore's home after a party.

 

Barrymore and other guests at the party claimed Mr Lubbock drowned.

 

Mr Lubbock's father, Terry, has always maintained that his son was murdered after being subjected to a homosexual attack during the course of the party.

In the early hours of March 31, 2001, an ambulance was called to the £2m house where Stuart was lying by the side of the pool dressed only in boxer shorts. Paramedics were told he had been found at the bottom of the pool and dragged out.

Barrymore had fled the scene before the ambulance arrived, and he was later arrested and cautioned for drugs offences.

His then boyfriend, drag artist Jonathan Kenney, and local dustman Justin Merrit were arrested several weeks later on suspicion of murder, but later released without charge.

A post-mortem examination found Stuart had suffered severe anal injuries. Barrymore believes these were the result of hospital procedures carried out by doctors trying to revive Stuart, but the Lubbock family believes he was raped.

Barrymore admitted in a magazine interview that he believed some of the party guests knew more about Stuart's death than they had let on, but refused to name names.

Barrymore arrest 'final nail in coffin' says Clifford

 

Last updated at 13:53pm on 14th June 2007 Max Clifford: 'Barrymore's damaged goods'

 

 

 

Michael Barrymore's arrest today on suspicion of murder and sexual assault could be "the final nail in his coffin", according to PR guru Max Clifford.

Describing the TV star as "damaged goods", Mr Clifford said that the arrest would destroy his last vestiges of popularity after his career was left in tatters following the original allegations.

And he said that he hoped the investigation would finally give the family of Stuart Lubbock, who was found dead in Barrymore's swimming pool in 2001, some answers about his death.

Barrymore and two other men were arrested this morning on suspicion of the sexual assault and murder of Mr Lubbock.

Mr Clifford, a close personal friend of Barrymore's late ex wife Cheryl, said: "He's damaged goods, very damaged goods. He's gone right from the top to the bottom. This could put the final nail in his coffin.

"His career has gone nowhere but downhill after the initial allegations.

"After Celebrity Big Brother, there was a huge PR campaign going on to convince people he was becoming hot again, but none of the things he was meant to be doing materialised.

"Whatever the results of the investigation, he has got to be popular with the public, and this kind of thing will have the opposite effect.

"I think that the public will think that the police have taken a lot of time before taking this action and they wouldn't have done it lightly knowing the publicity that would have come out of it, when you look at how much publicity there was before when there were no charges.

"This is damaging to the popularity of Michael Barrymore."

Mr Clifford said that he hoped that the investigation uncovered the truth about Mr Lubbock's death.

He said: "I've always felt sorry for the Lubbock family. What happened to that boy has never been explained. It has obviously left a very bitter taste in a lot of people's mouths.

"There he was, healthy, happy and enjoying himself, and hours later he's dead with all kinds of horrible injuries that no one has been held responsible for. Were all those injuries self inflicted?

"He died in terrible circumstances and, so far, no one's had anything to do with it. That doesn't make sense. I hope this investigation gets to the truth, and that's what the British public hopes as well.

"Obviously these are accusations and it's up to us to wait and see if he's innocent or guilty. But it casts a giant shadow over a career which was almost destroyed by the initial allegations."

Mr Clifford added: "Of course time will tell whether he's innocent or guilty, but I think that after all this time and the fact that there's been a very thorough investigation, the fact that they've taken this step is very, very damaging to him.

"Knowing how high profile he is, the police would have had to have been extremely careful and diligent. Having spent so much time on the investigation, for the police to take this step is very damaging."

Michael Barrymore's arrest comes during a turbulent time both in his private and professional life, his former agent said earleir today.

Speaking in Auckland, New Zealand, where Barrymore had been living, Karen Kage said the entertainer returned to the UK one month ago because he was homesick.

He had also split with his long-term boyfriend Shaun Davis.

 

More....

• Michael Barrymore arrested on suspicion of pool murder

Ms Kage said she was sorry to hear Barrymore had been arrested. She said: "He left a month ago to come back to England. He wanted to go back home."

She added: "He'd had a really good two years and our whole goal was to get his name cleared. I don't understand this current news and I'm shocked by it.

"He'd had a lot of work in New Zealand and there were lots of different and interesting projects but the one thing he wanted was to get his name cleared and a line drawn in the sand over the Lubbock case.

"Obviously this is a huge shock. I just feel really sorry for him.

"He returned to London about a month ago. He just wanted to go home. He and his long-term partner had split up so he decided to go back to London to live.

"I have represented him over the past couple of years but I told him he needed to some representation in London. I haven't spoken to him for a week but I don't think he has got anyone at the moment."

Since returning to the UK, Barrymore has been mixing in London showbusiness circles again.

Last week he attended the final of the BBC's search-for-a-star show Joseph with life coach and former guru to Cherie Blair, Carole Caplin. She declined to comment today.

The news of his arrest is sure to end any hope the star had of resurrecting his career.

When Mr Lubbock was found dead in Barrymore's swimming pool, the TV entertainer saw his popularity slump and his career collapse.

After enjoying great success on prime-time TV, viewers began to see cracks in his smiling facade and realised everything was not "awight" - his well known catchphrase - in 1995 when married Michael Barrymore announced that he was gay.

He split from Cheryl, his manager and wife of 19 years, and his TV career floundered amid tales of drug and alcohol abuse.

In 2000, he starred in the comedy drama Bob Martin, about a troubled gameshow host, but Mr Lubbock's death in 2001 stopped his comeback in its tracks.

Ecstasy and cocaine were found in the dead man's blood, but more scandalous were internal injuries which suggested he had been the victim of a sexual assault before his death.

To make matters worse, Barrymore was widely criticised for leaving his home in Roydon, Essex, soon after Mr Lubbock, 31, was found floating in his swimming pool.

The public learned the entertainer had been to a nightclub in nearby Harlow the previous night and clubbers, including Mr Lubbock, had gone back to his house for an impromptu party.

During the police investigation that followed, Barrymore's then boyfriend, John Kenny, and another partygoer, Justin Merritt, were arrested on suspicion of murder but were later released without charge.

Barrymore was also arrested and eventually received a caution for smoking cannabis and for allowing others to smoke it in his house.

Although the police seemed satisfied that Barrymore had not been directly involved in Mr Lubbock's death, their investigation, and an inquest which recorded an open verdict in 2002, had destroyed his popularity.

A one-man show at Wyndhams Theatre, in London, was scrapped due to poor ticket sales and he fled to New Zealand.

There was more bad news for the man who was once one of Britain's highest-paid TV stars when he filed for bankruptcy in 2004.

Barrymore kept a low profile, starring as lawyer Billy Flynn in a version of Chicago in New Zealand, but he returned to the UK in 2006 as one of the housemates in Celebrity Big Brother.

Public reaction to his appearance was mixed, but Barrymore was popular enough with viewers to take second place behind 'spoof' celebrity Chantelle Houghton - although the shadow of Stuart Lubbock's death has continued to loom over him.

The latest twist will do nothing to help.

Essex Police reopened its investigation in December. And in March the Independent Police Complaints Commission announced that it would investigate detectives' handling of the initial inquiry into the butcher's death. Today, police pulled in a 55-year-old - said by sources to be Barrymore - for questioning with two other men.

Six years after the death, including a failed private prosecution against Barrymore, Stuart Lubbock's father, Terry, has vowed: "I'm going to be six feet under before I give up."

The chances of a career revival for Barrymore, now more than a decade past his TV heyday, seem increasingly remote.

:rolleyes: I wonder which bunk he'll get to sleep in in the slammer... top, middle or bottom?