Caroline Flack’s mum has rejected a Met Police apology about her daughter’s case, saying the star would still be alive if officers had not pursued a criminal charge. The Love Island host was facing prosecution for assaulting boyfriend Lewis Burton when she took her own life in 2020 aged 40.
The Crown Prosecution Service had recommended a caution but a senior Met officer appealed for her to be charged.
The force last month apologised to her mum Christine for not recording the reason but she rejected that.
On BBC Two’s Newsnight, Christine said: “It just seems wrong.
“They haven’t said why there were no notes taken, why nothing was recorded. I don’t know whether they’re covering something.”
Asked if she believed Caroline would be alive if she had received the caution, the mum said, ‘I do, I really do’.”
Christine, 73, said her daughter was not reading supportive media coverage – “she was only reading the bad”.
She added: “She lost her job straight away, without even being found guilty or going to court. She had another series axed.”
Christine says she will not stop campaigning for a fuller apology from the Met. Following her arrest, Caroline was taken to hospital because she had self-harmed. She was later locked in a cell for 24 hours, which her mother believes was unnecessary.
A coroner ruled the star killed herself because she knew she was facing prosecution and feared the media attention surrounding her trial.
The Met said it was sorry for the impact the arrest had on Caroline’s family. It said time in detention can be necessary “to gather evidence and investigate the alleged offence”.
- For emotional support, call the Samaritans helpline on 116 123
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