NEW BARRYMORE COP: I BELIEVE IT WAS MURDER
Police to launch fresh hunt for killer of dad who died at TV star’s pool in 2001
Two years later it found police had not secured the crime scene and two pieces of potentially vital evidence were found not to be available. DCI Jennings told the C4 show: “We did make mistakes early on in terms of the crime scene because a lot of witnesses were saying they thought it was a drowning, a tragic accident.”
He added: “The scene was secured but not to the standard we’d expect, hence the reason people were allowed back in there and we know items went missing.”
DCI Jennings said the missing items included a handle from an outhouse cupboard and a pool thermometer.
Essex Police added: “As these items have never been recovered and forensically tested, their evidential importance is not known and it cannot be ruled out they were used to inflict injuries upon Stuart.”
The actual cause of Stuart’s death was never established, with a coroner recording an ‘open verdict’ at the inquest in 2002. It is the first time in 13 years that a new investigator has
The scene was not secured to standard we expect DCI JENNINGS ON MISSING EVIDENCE
been assigned to the case, which former chat show king Michael blames for ruining his career. He was arrested on suspicion of rape and serious sexual assault in 2007, along with two others.
No charges were ever brought and later the fallen star successfully sued Essex Police for wrongful arrest.
DCI Jennings is due to make a public appeal for information ahead of Thursday night’s documentary – Barrymore: The Body In The Pool.
The film begins with the chilling 999 call that led police to Michael’s home on the night Stuart died.
The star invited the meat factory supervisor to his £2million bungalow when they met at the Millennium Nightclub in Stuart’s hometown of Harlow, Essex.
Eventually, seven people joined Michael and his then boyfriend
Jonathan Kenney at the star’s home in Roydon. Three people, including Michael, claim to have found Stuart in the pool, although reports have varied over the years.
Michael has described that moment as being his “worst dream come true.” He then fled the property, later admitting he “freaked out”.
Last night Stuart’s dad Terry told the Sunday Mirror the documentary has given him fresh hope he’ll finally get justice for his son.
He said: “We’ve had a wall of silence but I believe justice is starting to emerge and the people involved with Michael Barrymore on that fateful night, they’ve got to understand it’s time for them to tell us what they know.”
Barrymore: Body In The Pool is on Channel 4, 9pm, Thursday.