Crown Prosecution Service to review Flack assault case following ‘show trial’ criticism

THE Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is to probe its handling of the assault case against the late Love Island host Caroline Flack.

Ms Flack killed herself on February 15 while awaiting trial on charges she assaulted her boyfriend Lewis Burton with a lamp.

The 40-year-old was bailed and had been due to appear in court for a trial.

After her suicide, Ms Flack’s management team criticised the CPS for conducting a “show trial”, with Mr Burton having said he did not support a prosecution and Flack having denied the charge against her.

Following a freedom of information request from the Daily Mirror, it is understood that the CPS will look into its handling of the matter through a post-case review panel, a procedure which is not uncommon, especially in regard to complex or sensitive cases.

It is understood that the outcome of the review will not be made public.

Meanwhile, Laura Whitmore, one of many famous faces advocating for people and the media “to be kind” after Ms Flack’s death, said people learn while growing up that the world “isn’t always kind”.

The Love Island host (34) said people have not yet fully adapted to cope with the impact social media can have on their lives.

Whitmore, who replaced Flack as host on this year’s winter series of Love Island, was speaking on the red carpet before the WE Day UK charity event at the SSE Arena in Wembley, northwest London.

Asked whether she feels pushing the message to be kind is making an impact, she said: “We are all human. Growing up you learn that the world isn’t always kind. My number one thing is be kind to yourself. We can’t control what other people do. We can only control what we do.

“We can be kind to others and kind to ourselves. What anyone else decides to do is up to them. We can just be responsible to ourselves.

“I grew up in a generation without social media. I just missed it. I think I had it when I was just going to college and university.

“I didn’t even have to deal with that, on that platform, with people talking about you, or trying to fit in.

“I think that’s a huge thing because it is all so new, we don’t know how to cope with it.”

Whitmore also admitted that the result of the Love Island final, in which Paige Turley and Finley Tapp narrowly beat Siannise Fudge and Luke Trotman to the £50,000 prize money, was unclear up to the last moment.