UK gay entertainer Michael Barrymore will not face charges over the death of Stuart Lubbock at a party in 2001. Barrymore was questioned at Harlow police station in Essex yesterday, along with Justin Merritt and Jonathan Kenny - all three men had been arrested in June 2007 over Mr Lubbock's death. The Crown Prosecution Service advised that no one should face criminal charges following the investigation, but that the case should remain open. Lubbock, 31, was found dead in Barrymore's swimming pool after a party in March 2001. At the time, Barrymore and two other men were arrested and bailed in connection with the incident. But a year after Mr Lubbock's death, police decided no charges were to be brought against Barrymore or the other men. The arrest of Mr Barrymore in June this year came after audio recordings he made in preparation for a possible biography were seized by police from the home of agent Tony Cowell. In the conversations with Cowell, Barrymore discussed the events of the night Lubbock died. Chris McCann, complex casework lawyer for Essex CPS, said: "I considered all the evidence and asked Essex Police for further evidence which has now been received. "If we are ever to consider a prosecution, we must be able to say that Mr Lubbock died as result of the actions of a named person or persons, as shown in the medical explanation for his death. "I have decided that there is insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction against the three individuals." In an interview to be screened on UK television, Stuart's father Terry Lubbock said despite yesterday's events he still cannot draw a line under the case: "Indeed if I draw any line at all it would be in red, it would be in blood and it would have boxing gloves on because I'm ready for, I'm ready for a big fight ahead now." Detective Superintendent Gareth Wilson of Essex Police said this was not the end of the investigation. "Stuart Lubbock received very serious injuries the night he died and the evidence arising from our current investigations suggest that they occurred at the address in Roydon. "I am disappointed our latest inquiries have not brought the answers the police and Stuart's family are looking for. "We remain committed to finding out the truth of what happened that night. "I am convinced someone knows what happened and I hope their conscience or their obligation to do the right thing will prevail and they will come forward with the information we need." Ref: Pinknews.co.uk (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Tuesday, 11th September 2007 - 8:51am