The heartbroken mother of television presenter Caroline Flack has broken her silence, insisting a critical police error was directly responsible for her daughter's tragic death. The beloved Love Island host took her own life in February 2020 at the age of 40, just as she was facing a trial for assaulting her boyfriend, Lewis Burton.
A Mother's Quest for Answers
In a powerful new Disney+ documentary, Christine Flack details what she describes as a series of baffling mistakes by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Metropolitan Police. She believes these decisions, combined with relentless negative media coverage, left her daughter feeling completely trapped. "They will not admit that they were wrong to push for Caroline to be prosecuted," Christine stated. "Because of a police error, my daughter's died."
The crisis began in December 2019 at Caroline's London home. Christine reveals to the Mirror that she cannot comprehend why a detective inspector overruled the CPS's initial recommendation to issue a simple caution. "It would have changed everything," she explained. "Because they pursued the prosecution, she had to stand down from her jobs. She had to leave her house. It just changed her world."
Expert Analysis Condemns Prosecution
The documentary features senior legal experts who have studied the case and agree with Christine's assessment. Former CPS chief crown prosecutor Nazir Afzal examined the police documents and found the decision to charge deeply flawed.
"Having looked at all your evidence I can't understand why they rushed the judgement," Afzal tells Christine. "This was a case where there is no previous history, no coercive behaviour. Mr Burton never wanted this case and was adamant... For all of those reasons, the very worst thing that should have happened was a caution."
He went further, stating unequivocally, "My take on it is Caroline would still be with us if certain decisions weren't taken in that month or two."
Adding to the criticism, former Met detective constable Jess McDonald highlighted an email where a detective inspector insisted there was no clear admission of guilt, despite Caroline having admitted to hitting Lewis with a phone in a statement a total of 12 times.
The Final Descent
As the case proceeded, Caroline's mental state deteriorated severely. Her agent and legal team arranged for a psychiatric assessment, and the resulting report was sent to the CPS, pleading that she was not mentally fit to stand trial. Her agent, Louisa Booth, said this professional analysis was "ignored."
The documentary reveals the harrowing details of Caroline's final weeks. After learning on February 13 that the case would continue, she texted a friend: "My life is over. My head is throbbing." She subsequently suffered a meltdown, trashing her flat. Though friends rushed over and called an ambulance, she calmed down and they left the next morning when her sister was due to visit.
Tragically, her sister Jody arrived to a locked door. Caroline Flack was later found dead. A note left in her flat read: "Please let this court case be dropped, and myself and Lewis find harmony."
In response to the events, the Metropolitan Police apologised for not keeping a record of why it charged her, though an Independent Office for Police Conduct review found no misconduct. The CPS maintains that "all decisions were made on the basis of the medical opinion available" and that "the prosecution was correctly brought."
Caroline Flack: Search For The Truth premieres on Disney+ today.
If you are affected by the issues in this article, please call Samaritans on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org. You can also call Refuge free on 0808 2000 247.
