For more than two decades, the Lubbock family has stood at the edge of an unanswered question — what truly happened to Stuart Lubbock, a 31-year-old man found dead in a celebrity's swimming pool in the spring of 2001. The original inquest offered no resolution, arrests led nowhere, and a father spent his final years in pursuit of a truth he never received. Now his son Kevin carries that same plea to a new Attorney General, asking whether a second inquest might finally compel the justice that time and institutions have so far withheld.
Lubbock's brother urges new Attorney General to approve second inquest
Stuart Lubbock, 31, died from horrific injuries including sexual assault during a party at Michael Barrymore's mansion; his family has spent over two decades seeking justice.
I won't rest until I get the answers we need
Mark
Why does a second inquest matter if the first one already happened? Isn't the case closed?
Mimi
An open verdict isn't closure—it's the opposite. It means the inquest couldn't determine how Stuart died. A second inquest could compel new evidence, new witnesses, new testimony that might not have been available or pursued in 2002.
Luke
But we should be clear: the family is asking for approval. There's no guarantee the Attorney General will grant it. And even if he does, that doesn't mean charges will follow.
Mark
What changed between 2002 and now that would make a second inquest different?
Mimi
Time, mainly. Witnesses talk. Evidence surfaces. And there's political pressure now—a new government, a family that hasn't stopped fighting, media attention. The original investigation was incomplete.
Luke
The 2007 arrests suggest police did pursue it further, but they hit a wall. We don't know why those three were released without charge. That's a gap in what we know.
Mark
So Kevin is essentially asking the new Attorney General to take a case the police couldn't solve and try again?
Mimi
Yes, but through a different mechanism. An inquest is about establishing facts, not necessarily prosecution. It's about truth.
Luke
Though we should note: the family says sexual assault is a fact. The source material confirms injuries consistent with that, but I'd want to know what the evidence actually shows versus what the family believes happened.
Mark
And Barrymore has denied everything all along?
Mimi
Completely. He's never wavered. But denial isn't evidence either way.
Il Polso
- Stuart Lubbock died with injuries consistent with violence and sexual assault at a party hosted by TV star Michael Barrymore in March 2001, yet no one has ever been held criminally responsible.
- A 2002 inquest returned an open verdict, and a 2007 arrest of Barrymore and two others collapsed without charge — leaving the family trapped in a legal limbo that has stretched across generations.
- Terry Lubbock, the father who led the fight for justice, died of cancer in 2021 without ever receiving answers, passing the weight of the campaign to his surviving son Kevin.
- Kevin Lubbock, now 56, is appealing directly to newly appointed Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer KC to authorise a second inquest — a mechanism that could force new testimony and reopen the investigation.
- Police have reaffirmed a commitment to finding closure for the family, but no concrete action appears imminent, leaving the case suspended between institutional acknowledgement and meaningful movement.
For more than two decades, the Lubbock family has stood at the edge of an unanswered question — what truly happened to Stuart Lubbock, a 31-year-old man found dead in a celebrity's swimming pool in the spring of 2001. The original inquest offered no resolution, arrests led nowhere, and a father spent his final years in pursuit of a truth he never received. Now his son Kevin carries that same plea to a new Attorney General, asking whether a second inquest might finally compel the justice that time and institutions have so far withheld.
Twenty-three years after Stuart Lubbock was found dead in Michael Barrymore's Essex swimming pool, his family remains without answers. Stuart was 31 when he died during a party at the television presenter's mansion in Roydon in March 2001, his body bearing injuries that pointed to violence and sexual assault. No one has ever been charged.
The 2002 inquest returned an open verdict — a legal outcome that resolved nothing. Five years later, Barrymore and two others were arrested, only to be released without charge. The case stalled, and the years accumulated around it.
Stuart's father Terry devoted the rest of his life to seeking justice, and died of cancer in 2021 at 76, the question still open. His older son Kevin, now 56, has taken up the cause. Speaking publicly, Kevin has described the sexual assault as an established fact and expressed cautious hope that a change in government might bring the political will the case has long lacked.
His appeal is now directed at Lord Richard Hermer KC, the Attorney General who took office in July. Kevin is asking the office to approve a second inquest — a legal avenue that could compel fresh evidence and testimony. Police have spoken of their commitment to providing the family with closure, but offered nothing concrete. The Lubbock family's decades-long pursuit has become a quiet testament to what happens when grief outlasts the system's willingness to act.
Twenty-three years after Stuart Lubbock's body was pulled from Michael Barrymore's swimming pool, his family is still waiting for answers. The 31-year-old died during a party at the television presenter's £2 million mansion in Roydon, Essex, in March 2001, his death marked by injuries that suggested violence and sexual assault. No one has ever been charged.
The original inquest, concluded in 2002, returned an open verdict—a legal term that amounts to an admission that the circumstances of death could not be determined. Barrymore, now 72, has consistently denied any involvement. When police did move, it came five years later: in 2007, Barrymore was arrested alongside two others, but all three were released without charge. The investigation stalled. The case remained unsolved.
Stuart's father, Terry, spent the remainder of his life pursuing justice. He died of cancer in 2021 at age 76, the question of what happened to his son still unanswered. Now his older brother Kevin, 56, has inherited the burden of the campaign. In recent comments to The Sun on Sunday, Kevin made clear he will not accept the status quo. He described the sexual assault as established fact and expressed hope that a change in government might finally unlock the resources or political will needed to move the case forward.
The new Attorney General, Lord Richard Hermer KC, took office in July. Kevin's appeal is directed at him—a request that the office approve a second inquest, a legal mechanism that could reopen the investigation and compel new testimony or evidence. Whether such approval will be granted remains uncertain. A police spokesman acknowledged the force's continued commitment to finding answers and providing closure to the family, but offered no indication of imminent action.
The case has become emblematic of a family's persistence against institutional inertia. Two decades of seeking answers, the death of the father who led the fight, and now the son carrying forward a plea for the system to do what it has not yet done: establish what happened in that pool on that night in 2001.
Citazioni salienti
I won't rest until I get the answers we need. Stuart deserves that at least. He was sexually assaulted. That is a fact.— Kevin Lubbock, Stuart's brother
We remain committed to finding answers to provide closure.— Police spokesman
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Politics & Governance