Father of man found dead at Barrymore's home cancels protest

THE father of a man found dead in Michael Barrymore's swimming pool cancelled a protest outside the Edinburgh theatre last night where the entertainer was performing.

Terry Lubbock had planned to hold a low-key protest and demand answers more than five years after the unexplained death of his son Stuart. But Mr Lubbock, 62, said he had to pull out of the protest outside the Festival Theatre, where Barrymore is playing the lead role in the musical Scrooge, due to a minor "family problem".

Speaking from his home in Essex, he said: "We had to pull the plug at the last minute. It was a slight family problem and it was not convenient for me to go."

Stuart Lubbock, 31, was found dead at the Essex mansion of the TV star in March 2001. Essex Police announced in December last year that they were reinvestigating the events at the house.

Since December Mr Lubbock has stepped up his campaign by confronting Barrymore at a series of appearances.

A coroner recorded an open verdict about Mr Lubbock's death following an inquest in September 2002. He had been among a number of people at a party at Mr Barrymore's home. Post-mortem tests showed that he had suffered severe internal injuries.