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LONDON - The police watchdog is to review the inquiry into the death of a man found floating in the swimming pool at the home of television presenter Michael Barrymore almost six years ago.
Meat factory worker Stuart Lubbock, 31, was pronounced dead in hospital the morning after he was found at the entertainer's Essex mansion after a party in March 2001.
No charges were brought against anyone, including Barrymore, but public scandal surrounding the case destroyed Barrymore's once highly successful TV career and led to him moving to New Zealand.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPPC) said on Thursday it will examine whether Essex Police failed to investigate Lubbock's death properly, following complaints by his father, Terry, who has long demanded another probe.
The review will be conducted by a police force other than Essex Police, under the direction and control of the IPCC. The external force is yet to be named.
Post mortem tests indicated Lubbock had drowned and an inquest recorded an open verdict on his death.
The coroner said he had been found with drugs and alcohol in his system and with serious anal injuries, suggesting he had been the victim of a violent sexual assault.
Barrymore left Britain for self-imposed exile in New Zealand in the wake of the negative publicity he received following the death, but returned to television last year on Channel 4's Celebrity Big Brother reality TV show.
- REUTERS
