Hi everybody, thanks for joining us for this week’s case.
This is the story of Stuart Lubbock and how he ended up dead at the home of one of Britain’s most loved tv entertainers, Michael Barrymore.
In the early hours of 31st of March 2001, emergency services in Essex received a call that a body had been found in the swimming pool. When the paramedics arrived at the scene, they found the lifeless body of Stuart Lubbock.
How did Stuart end up at Michael Barrymore’s Essex mansion? And what went so wrong that night?
This was an absolutely massive case in the UK because like you said he was such a big star.
Actually, I’ve got to say that I listened to a podcast where an English guy was describing Michael Barrymore’s level of fame to an American and he said he was on a par with Oprah Winfrey. Hard no! Could he have been if things hadn’t happened - Still no. For the international listeners I’m going to say Regis Philbin level.
Daniel also suggested Trisha Goddard (who I had forgotten had a show in America) Vanessa Phelps, Chris Evans (English Chris Evans not American Chris Evans. - no offence to the latter but it’s a big difference.)
For context Michael Barrymore, whose real name is - Michael Ciaran Parker was born 4th May 1952, he had a humble upbringing in Essex and after being recruited to be a redcoat at a Butlins holiday camp, rose to fame as a tv personality and game show host who dominated prime time British tv in the 80s/ 90s.
In 1976 he married Cheryl Cocklin (stage name Cheryl St Clare) who was a west end dancer and she quickly became his manager, her business acumen, and his ability to build rapport with people made him extremely popular and successful.
Barrymore presented programmes like strike it lucky, my kind of people and kids say the funniest things. At the height of his popularity, he had a 2 million contract with ITV.
In the mid 90’s Barrymore was as at his prime, living his dream with a squeaky-clean image and adoring fans - but then things started to change.
He admitted to having exhaustion and issues with alcohol and drugs, talking candidly about them on television.
In 1995 he famously came out as gay live on stage at The White Swan pub, which is a drag bar in London.
He apparently did a rendition of New York, New York before changing the words to ‘start spreading the news - I’m gay today’ and throwing his wedding ring on the floor.
At the time the announcement caused a massive tabloid backlash, they ran negative stories about him that were just horrible and unnecessary - considering this was just a celebrity coming out.
This definitely impacted upon his popularity - he was a family orientated entertainer who had been married to a woman for 20 years and a large part of his act was to play it straight. so, when he came out it didn’t go down well, people possibly felt lied to or it was just blatant homophobia.
It was a little bit reminiscent of Philip Schofield coming out a year ago. A generally supportive reception but some mixed feelings from the public. -People felt sorry for his wife etc.
Thankfully for Barrymore the vast majority of his audience were accepting, and he continued to flourish for a time collecting a host of awards at the NTAs the following year.
But in 1997, after a messy separation Cheryl and Michael divorced and she stopped managing his career. May be worth noting that Cheryl denied knowing anything about her husband’s sexuality and claimed they had had a full marriage throughout.
Rumours started to circulate that Barrymore’s substance abuse and excessive partying was becoming an issue. In 2000 he was officially warned by police when drugs were found in a London hotel suite, he was sharing with 4 other men and a prostitute. He is said to have been watching with another man and had funded the rendezvous.
In March 2001 he reportedly drunk on stage at a children’s charity concert and at the end of that month he hosts ‘The Party’.
So, before we get any further into the case it’s worth pointing out that there is a really good channel 4 Documentary called Barrymore: Body in the pool which I totally recommend. It’s a good overview on the case and the key characters.
definitely worth a watch and it is available on demand.
We cannot talk about this case without talking about Michael Barrymore, but we want to point out that he is not the victim here; the Victim is Stuart.
Yeah, and that’s just one of the things I have issue with in this case because you can’t find out much about Stuart, it’s all about Barrymore and it’s annoyed me. Stuart is part of Barrymore’s Wikipedia page - I don’t know if that’s on purpose i.e., the family want it that way, but he surely should be more than a little section on someone else’s page. Not cool.
Stuart Lubbock was born on the 1st of October 1969 to mother Dorothy and Father Terry Lubbock they had another son Stuart’s older brother Kevin. I think there’s a year between them.
According to the book ‘not Awight- getting away with murder’ by Terry Lubbock & tony Bennett.
Stuart had a modest childhood enjoying family caravan holidays and was an average child who enjoyed football, supporting Manchester United.
His parents were production workers at a local factory and separated when Dorothy met someone else - they eventually divorced when Stuart was 15 with Terry being granted custody of the two boys.
Stuart’s mum who can be seen on clips of the inquest, but she sadly died in December of last year along with his grandmother.
Stuart left school at 16 and went to work in the same factory his brother Kevin did. This is the A1 bacon factory and it’s a meat packing factory in Essex where Stuart is reported as being a solid staff member and quite popular among his colleagues. He had worked his way up to supervisor and was still working there when he died.
Stuart was married to Sue Homan, they met when she was 15 and he was 20, he moved in with her family and in July 1993 they got married. 6 months later they separated, and he moved home to his dads. The couple later divorced but they remained close and on good terms. Sue states on her Twitter feed that they split on particularly good terms and there was no cheating involved. She is quoted as saying that she grew up and realised they had outgrown each other or grown apart.
When Stuart was 25, he met colleague Claire Wicks at work and they went on to have two daughters together, it was his longest relationship, and they were together for around 6 years only splitting up several months before he died. He was allegedly seeing Emma bowman a month before he split from Claire and recently before his death been caught inflagrante with another female colleague Karen Harris at work.
In most articles Stuart is noted as being a lad about town, a cheeky chappy, harmless womaniser. He loved to go out partying with his friends and would regularly go on lads’ holidays and nights out with his brother.
It was on one of his nights out with his Older brother Kevin and friend Michael Crook that they ended up in the Millennium night club.
Kevin noticed Michael in the toilets, and we can assume he was quite star struck because of course Michael was a huge star back then. Kevin told his brother who he had seen, and they went over to say hello to Michael with Kevin using Michael's own catch phrase. ‘Awight’
They got chatting and Michael crook is quoted as saying that Michael and Stuart chatted amicably for a time. Michael ended up in the VIP section of the club and after a while a girl (were not sure who) approached Stuart and invited him back to Barrymore’s house with a few others.
Michaels then Partner Jonathan Kenney, who had been with him for a few months and lived with Barrymore.
Local man Justin Merritt 31, his younger sister Kylie, and two of her friends, Student Claire Jones 17 & her friend Kelly Campbell 20 who is apparently reluctant to go.
Stuarts brother Kevin says he didn’t want to go to the party either and his other friend Michael was working early the next day - but Stuart did. Stuarts brother says that Stuart would have only gone back to Barrymore’s house so he could brag to his mates the following day about going back to a celebrity’s house.
Young me would have gone in a flash. I’d have been thinking celebrity, free drink, free drugs, awesome story, I would probably have stolen an ashtray also. I’d probably go now to Barrymore’s - but I’d be thinking I’m gonna break him and record it all for the podcast.
Anyway - Taxis were called to transport the party goers back to Barrymore’s house - The taxi driver Keith Miller (who was a regular driver for Barrymore) remembers the night well.
Whilst driving the star and his guests’ home, he remembers a drunk Michael leaning forward in his seat saying that he could “do with a fuck right now.”
The way I understand it is that Barrymore leaves the club and gets into a taxi with Justin Merritt, Kylie Merritt and Stuart Lubbock and they head off to his mini mansion.
Jonathon Kenney is said to be ‘highly agitated’ to have been left behind by Barrymore. He calls another taxi and after a wait it arrives, and he shares it with Claire jones and Kelly Campbell.
I have to add the Blackpool connection - Jonathon Kenney used to be a show girl called Raquel who worked at funny girls in the resort.
Always love a Blackpool connection.
Two other guests arrive at the party as well, they arrive on foot at around ten minutes after the taxi containing Jonathon Kenney and the girls; they are Simon Shaw and James futters. These men are locals and are said to be friends of Barrymore’s from the local pub. James who had known Michael for years had visited the house on several occasions and said he had arrived at the house during the early hours of the morning as he was passing and decided to call in, bringing Simon with him.
At approximately 2.47am a party starts at the mansion and there are nine people present, none of these people claim to know Stuart Lubbock before this party, but they all either know each other or know Barrymore. There is a hot tub and a pool at Barrymore’s mansion and the gathered people are drinking and having fun.
In the early hours of March 31st, 2001 at 5.48am an ambulance is called to Barrymore’s house due to a man having drowned - and at 8.23am Stuart Lubbock is pronounced dead.
What happened in between them arriving at the home and the time of the phone call to emergency services is mostly unknown, it’s not entirely clear because each witness gives a differing version of events with some of those versions changing over time.
All the guests seem to agree that there was lots of alcohol and drugs on offer and that Stuart was in good spirits.
Justin Merritt stated at the inquest that Michael Barrymore had supplied cocaine and offered it freely to him and his sister. he also recounted how, when it had been offered to Stuart on the end of Barrymore’s finger, he had declined but that Barrymore had forcibly rubbed it into Stuart’s gums.
Jonathan Kenny and Justin Merritt both claim to have been in the hot tub during the night and had witnessed Stuart in the pool. They say he was ducking under the water and dive bombing in the pool enjoying himself and this is backed up by Kylie’s statement at a later inquest.
Kylie also confirms that Jonathon and Justin were in the jacuzzi with Stuart prior to his death. And Jonathon states that Stuart was drunk and at one point was slipping into the water and he had to prop him up. He goes on to say that when Justin and he get out of the hot tub Stuart is left in alone.
At 5am neighbour Jerry Grant said that he heard people talking outside but that it didn’t sound like a party and it was normal to hear parties from the house.
Another neighbour called Linda said she heard screaming at 5.45am shortly before the body was discovered and said it sounded like an argument; at 5:46am the police were contacted.
so essentially it is 3 hours from the start of the party to when Justin Merritt calls the ambulance but there is no clear outline of what happened and when.
You can pick out bits from the statements - so the party starts and most convene in the kitchen, separate little groups are talking to each other. People are milling around the house, one of the girl’s goes on a self-guided tour of the mansion and some people are outside playing in the pool or relaxing in the hot tub.
Apparently, it’s really hard to remember what happened at a party involving 9 people and it’s even harder to remember who initially found Stuart, pulled him out of the pool and gave cpr.
This is where it starts to get interesting because In Jonathon Kenney’ s first statement, given on the morning of the Stuart’s death he insisted that Barrymore never came back to the property at all and wasn't even at the party. Despite Barrymore in fact being there throughout but leaving his property well before the police and the ambulance crew arrived. And not only leaving but carrying a bundle of material under his arm and wearing different clothes - he was also accompanied by James Futers and Simon Shaw; they apparently went to their flat which was over a local newsagent.
Jonathon Kenney admitted the lie two days later in a second statement after all other witnesses put in their first statements that Mr Barrymore was in fact there throughout, and he said he had lied to protect him from the media.
I find it odd him leaving the scene - it’s a strange decision to make He says ‘he freaked out’ but It makes him look guilty of something for leaving and then also him removing something from the property.
It doesn’t look good. and I can’t imagine that a decent manager would advise their client to do that.
And I say that because There was a phone call between Kenney and the pa, a 30-minute phone call in fact and I can only assume from that phone call and Kenney saying about the protection from the media that a plan was formulated.
Because for now, and no disrespect to Stuart - this is just an accidental drowning at a celebrity’s house.
For now.
So back to the statements - Each witness was asked by police to make further statements over a number of weeks and they became more detailed and varied as time went on.
In Jonathon Kenney's first statement he said he heard a female voice shout someone was floating in the pool and ran out to find Stuart floating face down, he then pulled him out with the help of Kylie Merritt before trying first aid.
His second statement changed to say Barrymore was the one to alert him to Stuart floating in the pool, and when he got outside, he had already been pulled out by someone else.
And it’s not just Kenney changing his story either Barrymore said in his first statement that he alone saw Stuart floating face up in the pool, and ran to get Jonathon Kenney, who then pulled him out.
In a later statement Barrymore said he saw the body first, but Mr Shaw and Mr Futers pulled Stuart out.
Simon Shaw said in his statement that he was with James Futters and Barrymore when he saw Stuart at the bottom of the pool and jumped in to try to get him out. James Futters agreed with that version of events.
Justin Merritt said he went outside after hearing "someone's drowning" and saw his sister giving Stuart mouth to mouth with Jonathon Kenney leaning over. However, Kylie said she ran out and saw Jonathon Kenney leaning over Stuart alone.
In a brief first statement Claire Jones said she came out and saw Jonathon Kenney and Kylie Merritt trying to save Stuart.
In a more detailed statement, the next day she said Jonathon Kenney said quietly to her "Michael was never here OK?"
why so many versions? I mean I get that you’ve been partying and doing drugs but in that type of situation you would sober up quick surely - It’s off.
and that’s not the only thing off about this case - after Stuart is transported to hospital. Barrymore’s PA Mike Brown turns up at the property. At 07.03am He speaks to the police to explain where his employer is, and he is allowed unsupervised access to the property and is even asked to help the police take a temperature reading of the swimming pool.
At 7.48am 45 mins later the police interview Barrymore.
That evening Barrymore checks himself into a rehab facility and is joined by Jonathon Kenny, but he leaves a few days later. When he does leave, he gives an interview to the tabloids and isn’t particularly nice about Barrymore and his leaving the scene. They split up not long after.
Barrymore stays in the rehab facility until he is discharged in May 2001.
it was an absolute shit show after this because the media went wild, there was lots of mis reporting, distortion of events and un fact-based stories circulating in the media. It wasn’t nice and I think we need to mention that Stuart wasn’t spared either. I mean we’ve talked about victim blaming and shaming in the media on lots of other cases, but this was something else.
The media implied that Stuart was Gay - a fact that his family and friends strongly deny, and evidence would suggest that he wasn’t. It doesn’t matter. It was horrible.
And we haven’t even discussed the post-mortems yet.
The autopsy happens on the same day that Stuart died at the princess Alexandra hospital in Harlow Essex. And the pathologist notes that there are small scratches and marks on the body consistent with getting him out of the pool but nothing to suggest a scuffle or restraint. Because of the fluid in the lungs the pathologist concluded that Stuart had died of drowning and that there had been no third party involved; it was a terrible accident.
Now the first pathologist also notes that -There was a lot of blood on the cloth he had been wrapped in around the groin area and that his anus had been damaged. Trigger warning pretty graphic - He had had a haemorrhage from the anus region. there was clear dilatation of the anal canal. injuries around the anus. bruising and tearing of the anal wall. he describes these injuries as horrific.
fuck! Brutal!
The coroner Chris Milroy orders a 2nd post-mortem – saying that he wasn’t convinced that drowning was the correct cause of death. The anal injuries and some small petechiae haemorrhage in the eyes which is usually from strangulation or an arm lock point to it being not a ‘normal’ drowning.
Dr Calder an expert on drowning and the 3rd pathologist is called in the reason given only that it is a high-profile case. Dr Calder wasn’t convinced either.
following 3 post-mortems it is widely accepted that Stuart had suffered a serious sexual assault. The weapon was said to be a long hard object with ridged sides - there were some pictures taken of the crime scene which showed a pool thermometer which matched the description of the type of object that could afflict such injuries, this pool thermometer was never recovered.
Stuart was found to have MDMA and Cocaine in his blood stream, and whilst known to have had used these in the past it is agreed that such a cocktail of drugs could have resulted in cardiac arrest.
Barrymore was arrested on suspicion of murder on the 6th of June 2001 along with Justin Merritt and Jonathon Kenney, but all were released with Barrymore only getting a caution for cannabis possession and use. on the 9th of September 2002 there is an inquest to determine the cause of death.
it’s not a criminal trial it’s an investigation into what happened but Barrymore turns up with some serious legal representation in the form of barrister Michael Mansfield who led the Stephen Lawrence trial - Barrymore is taking this seriously.
the inquest is where we get the limited and conflicted information as to what is alleged to have happened at the party but again None of the party goers could explain what happened to Stuart.
Michael refused to answer questions about drugs at his home and denied rubbing cocaine on to Stuarts gums. During the trail Barrymore was criticised for not helping Stuart and he said he didn’t jump in to save the man because he can’t swim, despite many people coming forward to say he could.
The main person to say that was his ex-wife Cheryl wasn’t it, she wrote a book as well in 2002 which didn’t shine a favourable light on him either.
no lots came out there - lots to digest.
The coroner makes it clear that the party members and lack of memory on the night is the reason why she can’t make a clear decision and an open verdict is declared.
On the 13th of January 2003, a further investigation was launched based on claims that the injuries that Stuart sustained were inflicted at the hospital. Michael Barrymore gives an interview to Fiona Phillips saying that he’s found a witness who will testify that when Stuart arrived at the hospital, he had no anal injuries.
Michael began trying to reignite his television career but ITV where reluctant, he tried his hand at a run of shows in the west end in September of 2003, but it seemed that the warmth he once felt from the audience had cooled and the run was abandoned after only a few performances.
In December of that year police declared that after taking evidence from over 16 separate staff members during the investigation they can confirm that the injuries that were inflicted on Stuart happened before he died, i.e., not at the hospital.
whilst he was alive and likely shortly before his death at Michael Barrymore’s house.
yes. So, Barrymore is dropped from itv and moves to New Zealand and keeps a low profile for a while until resurfacing on big brother in 2006. He’s super happy and glad to be back in front of a crowd. The tabloids are back with horrible headlines, but it seemed that people took to Michael and he came second to Chantelle Houghton.
Stuart Lubbock’s farther was offered an interview with Michael Barrymore organised by the sun newspaper and Michael went on various TV shows and game shows.
His motivations throughout have never been about Stuart and justice for him, I feel as though it is a mixture of desperation, greed and just to shut Terry up. The interview was more like a paid meeting and Terry wasn’t happy with how it went, he says that Barrymore talked about himself and didn’t answer any helpful questions about what happened to Stuart. At other times he seems to talk fondly of Barrymore, but you know Terry is an old man now and he just wants justice for his son and for someone to be held accountable. I can understand Terry’s motivation throughout more than I can Barrymore’s. Barrymore’s actions throughout have been ‘shady’.
In regard to someone being held responsible - that doesn’t look likely because in 2007 - 3 men are arrested for rape and murder - Michael Barrymore, Justin Merritt, and Johnathan Kenny. all 3 men are brought in for questioning and are said to be cooperating. But despite the alleged 18 new leads the charges are dropped and so is the case due to insignificant evidence.
Terrence - Terry, Stuart Lubbock’s father has been very vocal in his dissatisfaction with how the investigation was carried out and this has been confirmed by Essex police as they accept, they didn’t carry out the initial investigation thoroughly allowing Important items and potential evidence from the scene to go missing.
In 2017 Michael Barrymore went on to sue Essex police for damages to his career but was unsuccessful, and in December 2018 it’s announced he’ll get nominal damages and not the huge pay-out he was expecting - he managed to get one whole English pound out of them.
In 2019 he appears on piers Morgan where he is asked about the event and he says he believed Stuart drowned.
Not a fan of Piers Morgan and both of them together was uncomfortable to watch. I read that people thought he went easy on Barrymore probably for legal reasons.
Later that year in December Barrymore was due to be on dancing on ice but his appearance was cut short when he took a fall training for the Christmas special and broke his wrist forcing him to leave the competition.
In 2019 the documentary is aired and in response his legal team say believe Stuart received his injuries accidentally perhaps by slipping and striking the edge of the pool.
As sometimes happens with dancing on ice if you get injured early on or in training you get another shot, so it was said now 68-year-old Barrymore was hoping to make a comeback for the 2020 show but following the airing of the documentary that didn’t happen. And again, he goes on tv to say he is free and ready for the 2021 show, but they fail to invite him back.
Most recently during lockdown he has been playing strike it lucky on Instagram with his followers.
And as for the other people at the party - Someone out of those people that were there that night know what happened, none of them would speak to the film crew or give a comment in regard to the documentary. we managed to find them all on social media and it’s interesting that some have changed their names. The women have married so it’s not particularly suspicious there in terms of name changes but several of the men, the key players have chosen to change their names. We’ll let you make up your own mind as to why they may have done that, and whilst we won’t give you their new names now, we will pop the usual source notes on our blog.
Sadly, that brings you up to date on the case and what happened to Stuart remains a mystery.
Kelly what’s your opinion on what happened?
I have the obvious issues with the case particularly how the police handled things initially - vital evidence is missing from the scene like the pool thermometer and the door handle. Other evidence like the boxer shorts and the blooded towels found at the scene aren’t tested until 6 years later.
I don’t think Stuart could have come about his injuries in any other way than a violent sexual assault by one or more persons.
But I also don’t think that whoever did this planned to kill Stuart. I do think they felt confident however that he would never tell anyone what had happened to him.
Who would feel that confident? - All of them if he was that out of it.
So, I have to ask then what’s the motivation for such a vicious attack?
Rape is often about power and control and this feels like a punishment to me -.
If Stuart drowned, you wouldn’t cover up a simple drowning with an anal rape.
I wonder if Stuart was raped in the jacuzzi/hot tub and clearly injured badly, despite his intoxicated state he tries to get away and makes it clear that he is aware and he is going to tell. That angered or panicked his rapist, and he was then drowned.
I’m not 100% convinced that Barrymore is the rapist, but I do think he was present or complicit in some way, I feel the same way about Justin and Jonathon.
I do have one more theory which is a touch out there and as always just my thoughts, try to explore every angle but I can’t back this up in any way. What if someone did know Stuart before this night? We are so focussed on the 3 men that we haven’t considered the other two much or the two girls and what possible motive one of them could have.
So, the two guys who just turned up at the party I think came because they were supplying the drugs for the party. I read on a Reddit thread that this is accurate, and both have served time for drugs post the event.
Did Stuart know these two prior to the party? He had dabbled before the party.
Did he know one of the girls before, met them in the club on a night out? Did the proclaimed ladies’ man rebuff a female key player and she punished him by taking a chance on a prone Stuart and meeting out a horrific revenge? Have I been devouring too many females led revenge thrillers?
I also wonder that if Stuart had been a young girl would it have been handled differently.
Dani’s opinions – That Stuart was brought back to the party purposefully, as a plaything, and that Barrymore’s fame and familiarity was the lure for an almost ‘starstruck’ Stuart. That said Dani doesn’t believe that the murder was premeditated whilst the invitation was.
In terms of who would feel confident enough to ‘get away’ with such an act – we agree it could be all of them (compounded by Barrymore’s overarching fame). But they would have to feel confident that Stuart wouldn’t remember, would feel too ashamed to report it and/or that he could be paid off.
We can’t be sure on each level of involvement, but we do know that.
Barrymore was a known voyeur and organiser of ‘sex’ parties.
Dani raises a good point with regards to ‘kids egging each other on’ and things going too far. were they drunk & having a good time, and things went too far? Was it a gang attack? Formed from some kind of drink & drug fuelled ‘hysteria’.
Dani also raised the case of Reynhard Sinaga also known as the Manchester rapist. He would target straight men who he would pick up and take them back to his flat, drug them and then rape them. In the morning he would convince them that they had enjoyed themselves and then passed out. He had 206 victims and a large percentage didn’t realise that they had been assaulted.
Something that we both consider when thinking about this case is, that all the guests at the party could have shopped Michael Barrymore, but they didn’t. why not?
If Barrymore wasn’t complicit, he should have stood up and tried to help, which may have been a better way of handling things in long run.
Would you have gone to the party? Would you have spoken up then? Should you now?
Wow, that is such a big case - and there’s probably lots that we’ve missed despite trying to be as in depth as we can.
definitely worth doing your own research on this one.
Let us know what you think So with that it’s time to say thank you for listening as usual. Give us a shout if you have a case, you’d like us to research.
So, until then stay safe look after yourselves. Bye
Kx
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