Michael Barrymore to receive major payout for unlawful arrest

British entertainer Michael Barrymore is set to receive a payout potentially worth millions of dollars over a wrongful arrest he believes destroyed his career.
On Friday (18Aug17), a judge at Britain’s High Court ruled the 65-year-old star was entitled to “more than nominal” damages over his arrest in 2007 in connection the death of 31-year-old Stuart Lubbock.
Lubbock was found dead in the swimming pool of Barrymore’s home in Roydon, England in 2001.
Essex Police chiefs had previously admitted his detention was unlawful, as the arresting officer did not have reasonable grounds to suspect that Barrymore was guilty.
However they argued the TV host, real name Michael Parker, should only receive a nominal payout as another officer could have lawfully made the arrest.
At the court in London on Friday Mr Justice Stuart-Smith ruled in Barrymore’s favour.
According to Britain’s ITV News, he said police chiefs “failed to prove that, if not arrested unlawfully as he was, Mr Parker could and would have been arrested lawfully”.
Barrymore was not in court to hear the judge’s ruling.
He is seeking $3.1 million (£2.4 million) in compensation as he claims the arrest destroyed his lucrative TV career. The value of the payout will be decided at a later hearing.
Barrymore was one of Britain’s most popular TV entertainers of the 1990s, but saw his career collapse in the wake of Lubbock’s death.