Barrymore TV show will offer new hope for justice
Family pray for pool death answers as show tracks down nine witnesses
A MAJOR new TV show is being made about the death of a man in Michael Barrymore’s swimming pool, raising fresh hopes of justice for the victim’s family.
Producers, who are eyeing a deal with Netflix or rival Amazon Prime, are tracking down witnesses who were at the star’s home on the night Stuart Lubbock, 31, died 23 years ago.
Police said “now is the time to come forward” and urged any new information be given to them.
The documentary could prove another headache for ex-strike It Lucky host Barrymore, 72, who is enjoying a revival as a Tiktok entertainer as he plans a move to Spain.
Stuart’s family say the programme could provide new hope and lines of inquiry – and have vowed to never give up their crusade for the truth.
ASSAULT
His ex-wife Sue Homan said: “We will always fight for justice. Anything that can shine a light on what happened is a good thing. There cannot be silence and unanswered questions forever.
“I will always want justice. Stuart deserves it. This gives fresh hope. The battle will always continue.”
Stuart, a meat factory supervisor from Harlow, Essex, died in March 2001 at a party at Barrymore’s £2million mansion in nearby Roydon. He was found unresponsive in his underwear in a swimming pool.
A post-mortem revealed he had suffered severe internal injuries which suggested he had been sexually assaulted. No one has ever been charged over his death.
The team behind the documentary, which is in the early stages of planning, will contact all nine people who were at the party and ask them to tell their side of the story.
A source said: “The documentary will look to finally get a solid witness account from those who were at the party that night. Police have made it clear they are not giving up and still want anybody with information to come forward. It is clear this is not going away and never will.”
A spokesman for Essex Police said: “As we have continually stated over the last 20 years, we believe someone, or some people, at that party know what happened.
“We know that not everyone was responsible for what happened, but someone was. Now is the time to come forward.”
Following the death, Barrymore virtually disappeared from public life. He lost his job at ITV in 2003, and was rarely seen again until he appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in January 2006 – he finished second.
A series of career revival attempts were often overshadowed by the ongoing investigation.
Barrymore and others were arrested and questioned on multiple occasions, but no charges were ever brought, and the star ultimately sued Essex Police for wrongful arrest, although he dropped his compensation claim of £2.4m after a court ruled he was due nominal damages.
News of the documentary comes just days after the former TV entertainer was seen with a male companion and his dog in West London. The pair looked relaxed and carefree last weekend, as Barrymore finalises plans for a new life in Barcelona.
Four years ago Channel 4’s Body in the Pool examined the death in detail and police – who admitted making “crime scene mistakes” – relaunched their probe and began pursuing several leads.
Sadly, Stuart’s dad Terry, who campaigned for justice for 20 years, died in 2021 without ever finding out the truth of what happened to his son.
Essex Police added: “Essex Police has never given up on this case and the force is motivated by the desire to deliver justice for Mr Lubbock and his family. This has been an extremely lengthy and complex investigation. We will continue to act on any new information to assist us in our pursuit of justice for him and for his family and friends.”
Anything that can shine a light is good. There cannot be silence and unanswered questions forever