Michael Barrymore’s friend and ex-agent has been spoken to by police investigating the murder of Stuart Lubbock whose ex-wife is praying he finally gets justice after his rape and murder in 2001.
Mike Browne said Essex Police detectives visited his home on Wednesday – shortly after a man, 50, was held in Cheshire in connection with Stuart’s death.
He told the Mirror: ‘They just really wanted to clarify if I was aware of anything coming to light over the last 20 years. Of course, my honest answer was believe me, if anything had done, you would have been made aware of it’.
Mr Browne had been called to Mr Barrymore’s mansion in Roydon, Essex, at just after 6am as paramedics battled to save Mr Lubbock, 31, who was found unconsciousness floating in the swimming pool. Barrymore fled as police arrived. He later apologised, saying he ‘panicked’.
Today Stuart Lubbock’s ex-wife Sue Homan, 47, spoke of her hope that police are closing in on his killer. The couple were married young but the relationship broke down before he died, leaving them both heartbroken.
She told The Sun: ‘The police say he was raped and murdered with the killer still at large. You cannot move on with your life until you know the truth. However, finally there is light at the end of the tunnel. We’re hopeful of getting justice for Stuart.’
Essex Police Superintendent Lucy Morris said that the suspect, who has not been named, was held in Cheshire after new evidence came in following the offer of a £40,000 reward when the Channel 4 documentary Barrymore: Body In The Pool was released last year. The man was released on bail this evening, pending further enquiries.
Mr Barrymore, 68, has yet to be spoken to by police but is ‘fully committed’ to uncovering the truth about the death of Stuart at his mansion in 2001, after ‘significant new information’ led to the arrest of the suspect, 50.
Michael Barrymore, 68, (pictured walking his dog with a friend in West London last week) was one of Britain’s best known stars and has always denied involvement in the death as a 50-year-old man was arrested in connection with Stuart Lubbock’s murder
Stuart Lubbock’s ex-wife Sue Homan, 47, (pictured together on their wedding day) spoke of her hope that police are closing in on his killer and said: ‘Finally there is light at the end of the tunnel. We’re hopeful of getting justice for Stuart.’
Mr Lubbock, 31, had been attending a party at Barrymore’s luxury home in the Essex village of Roydon with eight other people on March 31, 2001
Police believe Mr Lubbock was sexually assaulted and murdered with his body possibly moved from a jacuzzi to make it look like he had accidentally drowned
Police say they will speak to Mr Barrymore ‘in the coming days’ after the arrest of the man over Mr Lubbock’s death during a party at the star’s mansion in Essex 20 years ago.
Following the news of the arrest, a source told MailOnline: ‘Michael has not been contacted by the police but he will be forthcoming if asked and will be more than happy to help as he always has. He is fully committed to the truth being uncovered on what happened to Stuart on that tragic night 20 years ago.’
Mr Lubbock was found floating in the swimming pool during a party at 68-year-old Barrymore’s luxury home in the Essex village of Roydon attended by eight other people including the Strike it Lucky host, who will all now be contacted, Supt Morris said.
She added: ‘Nine people were at that party. We know that not everyone was responsible for what happened but someone was. Now is the time to come forward, if you haven’t done so already, to set this matter to rest by providing us with any information you have.’
People present at the party, aside from Stuart and Michael Barrymore, included the star’s boyfriend at the time, Jonathan Kenney, former dustman Justin Merritt and his sister Kylie, chef James Futers, Barrymore’s neighbour Simon Shaw as well as friends Claire Jones and Kelly Campbell, two teenagers who met the star in a club on the night of the party.
A spokesman for Mr Barrymore has told MailOnline it would be inappropriate to comment following the arrest.
Stuart Lubbock’s death shocked Britain and ended Michael Barrymore’s TV career overnight. The star, who made millions as one of the UK’s top TV personalities of the 1980s and 1990s, has always denied playing any part in his suspected murder.
He has been reduced to playing Strike It Lucky live with fans on Instagram and was last seen on TV during a stint on Celebrity Big Brother in 2006. A planned appearance on Dancing on Ice last year never happened after he broke his wrist and he was never invited back.
Last year’s Channel 4 documentary about the case prompted Barrymore, 68, to issue a fresh denial of any wrongdoing, saying: ‘I have had nothing to do with this whatsoever and yet I keep getting bashed and bullied by the media.’
A post-mortem examination showed Mr Lubbock, who was a butcher, had suffered appalling internal injuries that revealed he was violently raped. Alcohol, ecstasy and cocaine were found in his bloodstream.
Stuart was found floating in Mr Barrymore’s swimming pool but nobody has been brought to justice for causing his death, two decades ago this month. Detectives believe that Mr Lubbuck may also have been abused by a pool thermometer and outhouse handle that went missing after his suspected murder.
The initial investigation was deeply flawed after officers failed to secure the crime scene and assumed Stuart had drowned. Mr Lubbock may have been fatally injured in the jacuzzi and then dumped in the pool to make it look like an accident, it has been claimed previously
Speaking following news of an arrest , Mr Lubbock’s father Terry, 76, who suffering with prostate cancer, said: ‘There is just so much going on in my head. I can’t get my head around it. ‘Of course I’m happy. Of course this is good news. But it’s been 20 years. This has nearly killed me.’
He added: ‘I don’t know anything about the man arrested but the police let me know it had happened. It’s coming up to the 20th anniversary of my son Stuart’s death but the pain of losing him is still very strong. I’ve always said I will continue to fight for justice until my last breath and that’s what I’m doing still. I’m extremely ill with cancer, I’ve only got weeks to live but I won’t give up on Stuart until I die.’
He told The Daily Mail: ‘I’m glad something has happened before I die.
‘But look what it’s done to me. The fight for justice has put me in a care home and I’ve got cancer in my body. I’ve only got a few weeks left.’
Meanwhile, Harry Clichy, a friend of the Lubbock family, said: ‘I’m pleased. Of course this is progress. We can only hope it leads to justice for Stuart after all these years.’
Stuart’s death in 2001 ended Mr Barrymore’s TV career at a time when he was one of Britain’s most famous and highest paid stars. Within three years of the murder he was declared bankrupt and has barely worked again since, but has always denied having anything to do with Stuart’s death.
An Essex Police spokesman said: ‘The man, who was arrested in Cheshire, remains in custody where he continues to be questioned.
‘Stuart was found unconscious in the swimming pool of a property in Roydon on March 31 2001. Despite attempts to save him he later died in hospital.
‘The 31-year-old had been attending a party at the house with eight other people. A post-mortem examination found Stuart had suffered horrific anal injuries which are believed to be the result of a serious sexual assault prior to his death’.
Michael Barrymore was criticised for leaving his home soon after Mr Lubbock was found floating in the outside pool of his £2million home, which was sold for just £1.4million last year.
The former television presenter, who lives in West London and became a household name for shows such as Strike It Lucky, has always denied involvement in the death.
He was married to agent Cheryl Barrymore for 21 years but revealed he was gay in August 1995 and split from his wife a year later.
Barrymore was arrested on suspicion of rape and serious sexual assault in 2007, along with two other people. No charges were brought due to lack of evidence.
Barrymore later launched a high court case for £2.4million damages for wrongful arrest. He received a nominal sum after Essex Police won an appeal.
Last year a Channel 4 documentary examined the events of the night Stuart died including claims Mr Barrymore was drunk and told a taxi driver who drove him to the party at his home: ‘I could do with a f*** right now.’
The TV star has always denied any wrongdoing and claims he has been ‘bashed and bullied’ ever since that fateful night – but Essex Police insist Stuart was raped and murdered.
The show went into gruesome detail about the father-of-two’s injuries and revealed his family’s near 20 years of grief.
The team behind Barrymore: Body In The Pool’s were given access to Stuart’s post-mortem photographs – but they were deemed too awful for TV, even after the watershed.
After the documentary Barrymore, 68, posted a video on Twitter in which he protested his innocence and offered his ‘heartfelt sympathies’ to Mr Lubbock’s family.
He said: ‘I have had nothing to do with this whatsoever and yet I keep getting bashed and bullied by the media.
‘My heartfelt sympathies are with the Lubbock family and I truly hope they find peace.’
He also said that Channel 4 bosses ‘refused’ to show him the documentary – called Barrymore: The Body in the Pool – or tell him what is in it.
Earlier this year, Mr Lubbock (right on Sunday) has said he wanted a coroner to oversee a new inquest into the death of his son (left) and welcomes the arrest as he fights for justice
Barrymore, was arrested as part of the investigation in 2007 before being released without charge, later launched a high court case for £2.4million damages for wrongful arrest. He received a nominal sum after Essex Police won an appeal
Mr Lubbock’s father Terry, 75, accused Barrymore of ‘crocodile tears’. He said: ‘It’s a joke, isn’t it? I’m not buying it.’
Last year Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Jennings, who is now in charge of the case, revealed that two items possibly used in the brutal assault on Mr Lubbock – a pool thermometer and outhouse handle – went missing.
The crime scene was not properly secured after his death as officers at first assumed the factory worker had drowned.
Mr Jennings has also said it was likely at least two people were involved in the crime.
The policeman said at the time: ‘I believe that he [Mr Lubbock] was raped and murdered that night.
‘One or more of those party-goers are responsible for that serious sexual assault.’
The arrest comes just days after Stuart’s father Terry Lubbock, 76, said he had hopes that a witness with information might soon come forward to help the investigation.
Terry Lubbock, who has terminal cancer, said some people who were at the party must be living under ‘terrible’ pressure.
He also said he wanted a coroner to oversee a new inquest into his son’s death.
A coroner recorded an open verdict after an inquest in 2002 and, three years ago, the then-attorney general, Jeremy Wright, refused to give Mr Lubbock the go-ahead to make an application to the High Court for a second inquest.
But Mr Lubbock, who lives in Harlow, said in January that he thought information must have emerged which justified a fresh inquiry by a coroner.
Last year, Barrymore said he wanted another investigation into Mr Lubbock’s death by a new police force. The investigation has so far been carried out by Essex Police.
The entertainer also told Good Morning Britain he is going through ‘pain and agony’ due to the incident – which effectively ended his mainstream television career.
He also criticised Channel 4 over a programme aired last year called ‘Barrymore: The Body In The Pool’, which he described as ‘vile and vicious’.
In an interview with Good Morning Britain in March last year, Barrymore spoke about the others at the party that night, saying: ‘I’ve never seen them since that day … I haven’t got a number (for them), nothing.’
‘I don’t know any of them. The wall of silence is because they don’t know (what happened). I do believe that.’
Asked if he had anything fresh to offer the police, he said: ‘I honestly wish I did’, adding that he had been ‘through 20 years of Hell’. I haven’t got another another (story). I’ve only got the one story,’ he said.
He said Mr Lubbock’s father Terry’s torment ‘comes before me and everybody’ but added: ‘I can’t live my life. I can’t get on with my life.’
Responding to the criticism, a spokesperson for Channel Four said at the time that Barrymore had been ‘given a fair opportunity to respond to significant allegations and his position was fairly reflected in the documentary’.
Bosses behind the programme said it aimed to piece together the perspectives of the Lubbock family, as well as those of the detectives, forensic pathologists and eyewitnesses to explore what happened that night at Barrymore’s Essex bungalow, and the events that followed.
Among the footage used was a recording of the original 999 call made after Mr Lubbock was discovered in the pool.
Speaking about the airing of the documentary in February last year, Terry Lubbock said: ‘This documentary is about the questions around what happened to my son, Stuart Lubbock. Finally.
‘The story has become so distorted and confused over the years. So much has been said and written.
‘It’s time to put all the facts together in one place.’
Speaking about the release at the time, Channel 4 commissioning editor Alisa Pomeroy said: ‘This film is a reflective piece that tells the story of an unexplained tragedy that unfolded in the glare of an unforgiving media.
‘It sheds light on the complex relationship between celebrity, the criminal justice system and an all-powerful tabloid press in the early Noughties, but, most of all, it’s the deeply moving story of the Lubbock family’s continuing quest for answers and justice, nearly 20 years on.’