The Metropolitan Police Service has been urged to reopen tragic Caroline Flack’s assault charge case.
Former Love Island presenter Caroline was found dead in February 2020 having taken her own life. Three months earlier she had been charged with assaulting her tennis player boyfriend, Lewis Burton, after cops found her covered in blood when responding to an incident at her property.
The 40-year-old admitted to striking Burton’s head and was released on bail, and she was due to stand trial three weeks after she passed away. The day before she died, Burton had shared a loving Valentine’s Day post to her, whilst Caroline’s management slammed the Crown Prosecution Service for making the case against her a “show trial”.
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Now, after tireless campaigning for the truth by Caroline’s mum, Christine, the Independent Office of Police Conduct has urged the Met to reopen the case against her daughter.
(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
The watchdog wants the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards to interview one of the officers who was present at Caroline’s 2019 arrest, who was believed to have been involved in moving to overrule the CPS decision to only issue Caroline with a caution.
Christine, who was informed of the development last month, told the Mirror: “We won’t stop until we get the truth. Something very unusual happened to Carrie at the police station that night, but no one kept a proper record explaining why. I have now made a complaint to compel the officer to give the statement we think he should have given four years ago. As a family, we have been left with important unanswered questions.”
Last year the Met apologised to Caroline’s family after it admitted its officers failed to record why they appealed against the CPS caution. Christine also said she had been unsuccessful in arranging a meeting with Met Commissioner Mark Rowley over the matter.
She continued: “He has refused to speak to me. Now it’s time the Met gave us full disclosure.” The officer – who hasn’t been named – has a missing account of the events, which is understood to be seen as an “outstanding line of enquiry”.
(Image: Beretta/Sims/REX/Shutterstock)
Christine also told the Byline Times recently: “It is a big gap in our understanding of one of the most important moments in the whole thing. It has left us as a family in a terrible, stressful position. It is time he cleared it up, so we can get some justice for Carrie.”
Following Caroline’s arrest at her Islington flat, officers found she had self-harmed and she was later taken to hospital for psychiatric assessment, but deemed fit for interview.
(Image: Getty Images Europe)
Prosecutor Alison Wright later said Caroline should only be cautioned, only for her decision to be appealed by officers and subsequently overturned. She said in her report: “The police claim I have taken a biased view of the case because Caroline Flack is a celebrity. She should be and in my opinion is being treated exactly the same as any other suspect.”
An IOPC review into the circumstances surrounding Caroline’s arrest, meanwhile, “did not identify any misconduct” evidence in the Met’s decision to issue charges when it reported its findings in February 2023. It asked police to apologise to her family, however, for the absence of records.
Coroner Mary Hassell said at an inquest into the star’s death in August 2020 that she had been experiencing “fluctuating ill health” and “distress”. She said: “I find the reason for her taking her life was she now knew she was being prosecuted for certainty, and knew she would face the media, press, publicity. It would all come down upon her.”
(Image: Instagram)
A spokesman for the Met commented on Christine’s complaint: “While we are not discussing specifics, any officer in the Met, regardless of whether they left the Met and later rejoined, who is subject to a complaint would be expected to provide an account. The officer mentioned wants to make it clear he would offer every assistance as required.”
And on Christine’s attempts to speak to Mr Rowley, he added: “The Commissioner wrote to Mrs Flack in March last year, offering his condolences for her loss and acknowledging how distressing her daughter’s death must have been. In his letter, he explained that the appropriate avenues for addressing Mrs Flack’s complaints had now been exhausted, including consideration by the IOPC. Accordingly, there are no plans for a meeting.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
