Michael Barrymore’s legal battle against Essex police has resulted in the entertainer set to get a substantial payout for the wrongful arrest over the death of a man in his home in 2001.
A High Court judge has ruled that the Michael Barrymore was entitled to “more than nominal” damages over the manner in which he was treated by the police.
The star was detained in 2007 over the death of a man at his home in 2001.
Stuart Lubbock, 31 was found dead at the star’s Essex home in March 2001. In June 2001 Police arrested Barrymore, his partner and another man in connection to Lubbock’s death but no charges were brought forward. The same three men were arrested again in 2007 but the case was dropped again after three months. No one was charged.
Essex Police has admitted the arrest was unlawful and that the arresting officer did not have reasonable grounds to suspect that Mr Barrymore was guilty.
In 2009 the IPCC found multiple failings with the original police investigation.
Mr Barrymore’s legal team, who brought the action under Mr Barrymore’s real name, Michael Ciaran Parker, argued that the entertainer suffered “devastating” damage to his reputation following on from the investigation. There are some suggestions that the value of the payout could be over £2.4 million.
Mr Barrymore’s lawyer Hugh Tomlinson QC said,
“This arrest was made without any proper evidential foundation.
“However, the fact that it had happened, and the worldwide publicity it received, destroyed the claimant’s career.”
