CPS lawyer admits Caroline Flack 'should never have been charged before her death'
The inquest into Caroline Flack's death has heard a prosecutor for the CPS was against the decision to pursue an assault case against the TV star
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A lawyer for the CPS said pursuing Caroline Flack 's assault case prior to her suicide was not "in the public interest", a court head today.
The Love Island host, 40, was found hanged at her Stoke Newington, North London, home on February 15 this year.
She died just a day after learning the CPS was going ahead with her trial on a charge of assault by beating stemming from an alleged bust-up with boyfriend Lewis Burton in December 2019.
An inquest into her death resumed at Poplar Coroner’s Court in London this morning for a second day before Senior Coroner Mary Hassell, and today the issues surrounding the assault case were examined.
The court previously heard the CPS initially rejected a prosecution in the case, but the police appealed the decision and it eventually moved forward and Caroline was charged with assault by beating.
Today the inquest heard that CPS prosecutor Alison Wright did not believe charging Flack was in the public interest.
Sections of her summary were read in court. It said: "Flack states that she is going to kill herself as a result of Burton's alleged cheating.
"She has repeatedly admitted she assaulted him.
"I do not believe that the case is in the public interest to prosecute as the injured party does not support the allegation, there is no domestic violence history, the suspect is 40 with no previous convictions.
"There is nothing so serious about this incident which means the guidelines (to issue a caution) need to be diverted from."
If the police had not appealed the decision, Caroline would have been handed a caution - which would have given her a criminal record but would have kept the case out of court.
During today's inquest, Detective Inspector Lauren Bateman gave evidence and defended the decision to appeal the CPS' initial decision.
She told the court: "I felt in these circumstances it was not a minor offence. Mr Burton was asleep at the time. It was an unprovoked attack while he was defenceless."
DI Bateman also told the court that giving a caution depending on an admission of guilty from a suspect and she said she was not satisfied that that was a full enough admission for a caution.
When asked by the coroner if she would have done anything differently, DI Bateman replied: "No, absolutely not.''
Lisa Ramsarran, deputy chief Crown prosecutor, previously told the inquest: "There were some aggravating features of the offence. Mr Burton was asleep at the time he was struck, therefore he was not necessarily in a position to know what it was he was struck with.
"But it was sufficient to cause a significant injury so it was not necessarily relevant what the object was."
The inquest heard prosecutor Kate Weiss reviewed the decision to charge Caroline a week after the assault.
She cited various factors – such as the violence involved, that Lewis Burton was sleeping, that a caution is rare for a domestic violence case, and that police said Flack showed no remorse in interview – when making her decision that a caution was not appropriate.
She said: “In light of these factors, I believe a caution is not appropriate.”
She also said Caroline demonstrated a “lack of remorse” by breaching her bail condition not to contact Lewis when she sent an Instagram message to him saying: “I love you.”
Over the two months, a total of six reviews of the case were carried out and a final decision to proceed with the charges was made on February 13.
If you are affected by this story there are many people who would be happy to talk to you:
Samaritans
If you need to talk and don't know where to turn to, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit the website to find your local branch.
SANEline
If you or somebody you know is experiencing a mental health problem, SANEline's helpline is open between 4.30pm and 10.30pm every day on 0300 304 7000.
Mind
The mental health charity Mind has resources aimed at helping you cope with and plan for a crisis. Visit their website for details on helplines, how to access crisis services and what to do if you're unable to get help yourself.
- In an emergency, dial 999 for urgent help
Caroline - who denied the charge - took her own life a day after learning the case was moving forward to trial.
Lewis always maintained her innocence, while her family slammed prosecutors for pursuing the case against the star - calling it a "show trial".
During today's hearing, Caroline's mother Christine addressed DI Bateman and told her "You should be disgusted with yourself" for appealing the CPS' decision.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement: "Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Caroline Flack.
"It is normal practice for prosecutors to hold a debriefing in complex or sensitive cases after they have ended.
"This has taken place and found that the case was handled appropriately and in line with our published legal guidance."
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