Caroline Flack case to be reinvestigated by police as her mum vows ‘we won’t stop until we get the truth’
POLICE will reinvestigate their decision to charge Caroline Flack with assaulting her boyfriend before her tragic death.
Prosecutors recommended the ex-Love Island presenter should be given a caution following an incident with Lewis Burton.
But the Met Police launched an appeal to overturn the guidance and instead charged Caroline, 40, with assault by beating.
A coroner ruled the star took her own life in February 2020 after learning that prosecutors were going to press ahead with the case.
In a new development, the Met has now revealed it is making “further enquiries” into potential new witness evidence.
It confirmed this relates to the actions of its officers in appealing the initial decision by the Crown Prosecution Service not to charge Caroline.
The move has been welcomed by the star’s mum Christine Flack, who 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.”
Caroline was found dead at her North London flat on February 14, 2020.
The tragedy came just months after she was arrested when Lewis called 999 claiming he had been attacked.
At the time, prosecutor Alison Wright said Caroline should receive a caution but her review was overturned by the police and the presenter was charged.
The Met confirmed its new investigation comes after Caroline’s family last month made a complaint to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
A spokesperson said: “The IOPC decided the majority of the matters had previously been dealt with and no further action was required.
“The IOPC returned one aspect of the complaint back to the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) to consider further.
“This relates to the actions of officers in appealing an initial decision by the Crown Prosecution Service not to charge Ms Flack, and because new witness evidence may be available.
“DPS officers are now making further enquiries in relation to this.”
Fresh evidence
The investigation is the second into the handling of Caroline’s case after The Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) previously found there was no misconduct.
As a result, the star’s family escalated the case to the police watchdog, who launched a probe.
The IOPC found no misconduct but did ask the force to apologise to Caroline’s family, which was rejected by mum Christine at the time.
Speaking about the latest development, a spokesperson for the IOPC said: “On the basis there may be new witness evidence available, we returned one aspect of the complaint back to the Met to investigate.
“This relates to the actions of officers in appealing an initial decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) not to charge Ms Flack.
“The CPS subsequently reconsidered its advice and authorised a criminal charge.”