A TAXI driver who took Michael Barrymore home on the night Stuart Lubbock was found dead in his swimming pool claims the TV star told him ‘I could do with a f*** right now’.
Keith Miller told a Channel 4 documentary he picked the TV presenter and Mr Lubbock up outside a nightclub in Essex at around 2am on March 31, 2001.
Hours later Mr Lubbock was found dead by police after party guests at Mr Barrymore’s home claimed he had drowned in the pool.
Post-mortem exams later found Mr Lubbock had suffered ‘horrific’ anal injuries.
Police believe he was raped and murdered and his death remains unsolved. Mr Barrymore has always denied any wrongdoing.
Mr Miller told the documentary Mr Barrymore appeared drunk when he got into the taxi and was ‘in no fit state to entertain’.
He said: “I felt my headrest move and Michael was pulling himself up towards my seat and he put his head next to mine, near enough, and went ‘I could do with a f*** right now’ and then he slouched back into his seat.
“He was like that until we actually reached the house.”
The party started at 2.47am with nine people inside the property, including Mr Lubbock and Barrymore.
Emergency services were called to the property at 5.38am after one of Barrymore’s guests called 999 and told an operator: ‘A geezer’s drowned in the pool’.
Mr Lubbock was pronounced dead at 8.23am.
The other people present on the night were Barrymore’s ex Jonathan Kenney, Justin Merritt and his sister Kylie, Claire Jones and Kelly Campbell and Simon Shaw and James Futers.
Mr Barrymore – who was one of Britain’s biggest TV stars at the time and hosted shows including Barrymore and Strike It Lucky – was arrested on suspicion of rape and serious sexual assault in 2007 but no charges were ever brought due to a lack of evidence.
Barrymore, 67, yesterday broke his silence to claim he has been “bashed and bullied” over the death.
Speaking in a video posted in Twitter yesterday, Barrymore said: “Channel 4 are refusing to show it to me or tell me what it is about.
“Anyone who wants to get to the truth of the matter should watch the ITV interview I did last year with Piers Morgan. He went into everything and left no stone unturned.
“The truth is, I have always done everything asked of me and I’ve co-operated with everyone.
“Essex Police’s own QC has said that ‘we know that Mr Barrymore has nothing to do with this and that there is no evidence linking him to the injuries on Mr Lubbock or the pool.
“I have had nothing to do with this whatsoever and yet I keep getting bashed and bullied by the media.”
A 2002 inquest recorded an open verdict after failing to conclude what caused Stuart’s death.
Cops believe Stuart was assaulted then either died in the hot tub or went unconscious and was dumped in the pool to make it look like drowning.
Despite several arrests, no criminal charges have been brought over the death due to lack of evidence.
A £20,000 reward has been put up for information – after cops blasted the “lies” spun over the past 19 years.
Investigators were looking into the possibility Stuart’s murder was “covered up”.
A swimming pool thermometer from the hot tub — which could have been used in a sexual assault on the victim — later went missing.
A broken shed handle, seen by officers, also disappeared and was not found in any bins at the property in Roydon.
Cops said the brutality of the sex assault would match one or both of the objects.
A 2002 inquest heard that Barrymore’s then-PA Michael Browne was called to the house.
Police yesterday said other unnamed men “close to Barrymore” were also allowed in — giving the perfect opportunity to clean up the scene.
DCI Stephen Jennings said: “One line of inquiry has to be that this could have been a cover-up.
“But there is a chance whoever did this just got lucky and no evidence was left at the scene.”
He added: “Let me be clear — I believe Stuart Lubbock was murdered. And we will catch whoever did it.
“I don’t think there’s anyone else there — realistically — other than the eight people that were there on the night. Of the people arrested, no one has been eliminated from inquiries.
“We believe at least one person is responsible — but it could be two or more.
“I can’t rule out a single individual being responsible — but on balance of probability there was more than likely more than one person involved.”
