Flack hanged herself after being told she would be prosecuted
Television presenter Caroline Flack hanged herself at home after discovering she was definitely going to be prosecuted for assaulting her boyfriend and feared press intrusion, a coroner has ruled.
Coroner Mary Hassell said the fact the alleged assault case was “played out in the national press” was “incredibly difficult for her”, and she feared the loss of her hardfought career.
The 40-year-old former Love Island and X Factor host was found hanged at her home in Stoke Newington, north-east London, on 15 February 2020.
The previous day, she had discovered prosecutors were going to press ahead with the assault charge after she hit Lewis Burton with her phone while he slept over concerns he had been cheating on her. Friends said she was expecting it to be dropped after her lawyers applied for the case to be thrown out.
Returning a determination of suicide at Poplar Coroner’s Court, the coroner said: “Although her general fluctuating (mental) state was a background and important in her death, I find the reason for her taking her life was she now knew she was being prosecuted for certainty, and she knew she would face the media, press, publicity - it would all come down upon her. To me that’s it in essence.”
Weeping, Flack’s mother Chris Flack told the coroner via videolink: “I totally agree, I think you got it spot on.”
Mrs Flack had accused the police and prosecutors of having it “in for” her daughter, accusing them of taking her to court due to her “celebrity status”.
Mrs Flack said her daughter killed herself as a consequence of Detective Inspector Lauren Bateman’s personal decision to appeal against the plan to give Flack a caution for assault.
Mrs Flack accused prosecutors of wanting to proceed with the case, despite concerns about the 40-year-old’s mental health.
Mrs Flack told deputy chief Crown prosecutor Lisa Ramsarran yesterday: “After listening to you and the first lady (Ms Bateman), I feel even more that you had it in for Caroline.
“I now know how Caroline felt and it is not very nice.”
Ms Ramsarran said the code for prosecutors was correctly applied, while both the police and the Crown Prosecution Service said they would not do anything differently.
Flack admitted hitting Mr Burton when officers were called to her home in London in December 2019, saying she did so because he was cheating on her, the inquest heard.
Prosecutors decided to charge Flack with assault after Ms Bateman, the Metropolitan Police inspector on duty at the time, contested their initial decision. The inquest heard prosecutor Kate Weiss reviewed the decision a week after the assault.