Death of Stuart Lubbock: Difference between revisions
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#redirect [[Michael_Barrymore#Death_of_Stuart_Lubbock]] |
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{{Cleanup|date=July 2006}} |
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'''Stuart Lubbock''' ([[1 October]] [[1969]] – [[31 March]] [[2001]]) was a meat factory worker from [[Essex]], [[England]], who died in suspicious circumstances. |
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The original investigation carried out by Essex Police is itself to be investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) as a result of a formal complaint lodged by lawyer Tony Bennett on Terry Lubbock's behalf on [[4 December]] [[2006]]. The precise terms of reference of this major inquiry are still (May 2007) under discussion between the IPCC and Bennett. |
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Lubbock was pronounced dead at Princess Alexandra Hospital at 8.23am on 31 March 2001 , after Michael Barrymore and two others present at his home that night – James Futers and Simon Shaw – reported finding him unconscious in the swimming pool of popular [[British television]] [[game show]] presenter [[Michael Barrymore]]'s home in [[Roydon, Essex]] on the morning of 31 March 2001 . He was wearing only [[boxer shorts]]. He was discovered by the pathologist at the hospital to have "serious" anal injuries and also with traces of [[Methylenedioxymethamphetamine|ecstasy]], [[cocaine]] and [[alcohol]] in his blood. |
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The case drew intense [[news media]] attention and speculation throughout the [[United Kingdom|UK]], particularly the tabloid press, and has damaged the reputation and career of Barrymore – despite there being no evidence that he was responsible for Lubbock's death or injuries. Stuart Lubbock's father, Terry, and a group around him, have pursued a vigorous campaign, highlighting Barrymore's role in the fateful night's events because they believe that he may hold the key to the "real" story of what happened or because he is a celebrity whose name guarantees headlines. |
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Lubbock, a wholesale butcher's supervisor from [[Harlow]], Essex had visited the home of Barrymore after meeting him in The Millennium nightclub. A party followed. |
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According to BBC News,<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1257558.stm </ref> neighbours described the dead man as a "pleasant, sociable" man who lived with his father Terry and brother Kevin in a terraced house in Great Brays, near Harlow. |
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At the time of Stuart Lubbock's death, he had two daughters, aged 4 and 1, who were being brought up by his former partner, Claire Wicks, whom he had left months earlier. |
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Lubbock's father Terry Lubbock has since set up The Lubbock Trust to campaign for further investigation into the case and generally generate as much publicity as possible. On [[2 December]] [[2006]] police announced they were re-opening the investigation into Stuart Lubbock's death.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6202926.stm </ref> |
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==Inquest== |
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A September 2002 inquest reached an open verdict: Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray said "None of these witnesses who were party guests for three hours have given to this court an explanation about how Stuart Lubbock, a previously fit 31-year old, should be found floating in a swimming pool at the premises with a significant level of alcohol and drugs in his system and have serious anal injuries." |
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Essex Police failed to call a witness from Princess Alexandra Hospital, a member of the medical team that tried for an hour to resuscitate Lubbock, whose job it was to regularly take his temperature with a [[Medical_thermometer#Rectal|rectal thermometer]], provided a sworn statement that there were no injuries to Lubbock's anus at the time of admission. This has been taken as evidence that the injuries were inflicted to Lubbock's unguarded body in the seven hours between being declared dead and the postmortem being carried out.<ref>http://www.marksimpson.com/pages/journalism/journo_barrymoreint.html</ref> |
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Detective Chief Superintendent Ian McNeil said that as the cause of death had been "unascertainable" and there was no witness evidence, he had decided to suspend the criminal investigation. During the course of the police investigation, both Justin Merritt and Jonathan Kenney had been arrested on suspicion of murder by police but later were released without charge. Dr Heath concluded that he had drowned accidentally. Three other pathologists who examined the body said that the marks on Mr Lubbock's forehead suggested that he might have been asphyxiated. However, none claimed that this was the cause of death. It was admitted that these marks could have been caused by the extensive attempts to reusucitate Lubbock. It had been confirmed that Dr Heath has volunteered to stop working for the police, having found evidence of foul play in previous deaths where there was none. |
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==Essex Police review== |
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On [[1 February]] [[2006]] [[Essex Police]] reviewed the death of Stuart Lubbock. Terry Lubbock said: "I'm delighted the police have agreed to review the case."{{Fact|date=June 2007}} In a separate development, detectives who are reviewing Mr Lubbock's death are to approach the publishers for a copy of the manuscript. [[Essex Police]] on [[Michael Barrymore]]'s book deal, a spokesman said: " The team is looking for something to bring a resolution to this book that is in any way prejudicial, we may be forced to issue an injunction to block publication."<ref>''[[Sunday Express]]'', [[11 June]] [[2006]]</ref> |
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==Kylie Merritt== |
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On [[10 May]] [[2006]], Kylie Merritt, a witness at the coroner's inquest, was arrested on suspicion of perjury. On [[14 June]] [[2006]], the charges against Merritt were dropped. Merritt was a witness on the night of Lubbock's death. Merritt told the inquest, "I saw Mr Parker (Barrymore's real name) put some cocaine on his finger and rub it on Mr Lubbock's gums." She later admitted that she could not be certain that her allegation was true during a lie detector test conducted by tabloid newspaper the ''[[News of the World]]''.<ref>http://www.lse.co.uk/ShowStory.asp?story=SQ1426181K&news_headline=anger_of_barrymore_pool_death_victims_family [[22 June]] [[2006]], "Lubbock Anger At Perjury 'Let-Off'."</ref> |
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==Dr Michael Heath== |
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On [[19 June]] [[2006]], Dr [[Michael Heath]], the pathologist at the autopsy of Lubbock, was called before a disciplinary tribunal at the [[Old Bailey]]. The following day, Heath's testimony was discredited. At the hearing, Charles Miskin QC for the [[Home Office]] said: "It is the belief of The Home Office that Dr Heath has fallen short of the high standards required by the Secretary of State of forensic pathologists."<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,1801708,00.html</ref> The tribunal is expected to sit for up to six weeks. Dr Michael Heath disciplinary hearing over. |
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==Private prosecution of Michael Barrymore== |
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On [[January 11]] [[2006]], [[Anthony Bennett (English politician)|Tony Bennett]], the Lubbock family's solicitor, issued an application in the Harlow Magistrates Court for Michael Barrymore to be charged with six offences, relating to his actions on the morning Lubbock's death. Bennett & Co. attempted to serve the papers on Barrymore whilst he was appearing on [[Channel 4|Channel 4's]] ''[[Celebrity Big Brother UK]]'', generating more headlines. The was later thrown out of court by a district judge who ruled that Barrymore had no case to answer.<ref>http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:QJgw-lmQ0aIJ:www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4153/is_20060210/ai_n16063379+private+prosecution+thrown+out+lubbock+barrymore&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2</ref> |
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==Investigation by [[Independent Police Complaints Commission]]== |
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Following a dossier on the case presented to the [[Independent Police Complaints Commission]] (I.P.C.C.) by Terry Lubbock's lawyer [[Tony Bennett]] on [[1 December]] [[2006]], the IPCC approved an investigation by an outside police force into over 30 separate allegations of incompetence and possible corruption by [[Essex Police]] during their initial, £8 million, investigation into Stuart Lubbock's death. In April 2007, the I.P.C.C. decided to make this a top-level investigation, managed and run by itself, and appointed former Hertfordshire Police Officer Adrian Tapp to head the investigation. In May 2007, the I.P.C.C. agreed with Bennett that a total of 38 separate complaints about Essex Police would be investigated. |
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==Recent developments== |
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On [[14 June]] [[2007]], three men were arrested in connection with Lubbock's death. Michael Barrymore is one of those who has been arrested on a charge of murder.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2102942,00.html "Barrymore arrested over pool death"], Matthew Weaver and Hugh Muir, [[Guardian Unlimited]], 14 June 2007, accessed 14 June 2007.</ref> |
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On [[15 June]] [[2007]], Michael Barrymore was released without charge after being taken in for questioning about Lubbock's death.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/essex/6758861.stm "Barrymore released without charge"], [[BBC NEWS]], 15 June 2007.</ref> |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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*[http://www.thelubbocktrust.org.uk/ The Lubbock Trust website] |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lubbock, Stuart}} |
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[[Category:People from Harlow]] |
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[[Category:2001 deaths]] |
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Revision as of 21:04, 15 June 2007
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