Caroline Flack’s mum, Christine, received a letter from the Met Police (Picture: ITV/REX/Getty)
Caroline Flack’s mum has refused to accept an apology from the Metropolitan Police.
The force apologised over its handling of a complaint she made after her daughter’s suicide.
Grieving Christine Flack, 73, launched a formal objection against the force after the late Love Island host took her own life aged 40 in 2020, while facing a charge of assaulting her then-boyfriend Lewis Burton.
The Met was slated for the way they handled the case and has since said it was ‘sincerely sorry’ for failing to keep records on the reason why Flack had been charged.
Christine told Victoria Derbyshire on BBC Two’s Newsnight: ‘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.’
When asked if she thought her daughter would still be alive if Flack had been cautioned and not charged, Christine added: ‘I do, I really do.’
The Love Island presenter died by suicide in 2020, aged 40 (Picture: Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images)
She said: ‘Once all the pictures came out in the newspapers and things were written about her on social media – they just picked up the bad.
‘There was a lot of good, but Caroline wasn’t reading the good – she was only reading the bad.
‘She lost her job (as Love Island host) straight away, without even being found guilty or going to court. She had another series axed.’
After Flack was arrested, the Crown Prosecution Service initially decided the TV presenter should receive a caution.
But the decision was appealed by a senior Met officer and resulted in Flack facing a charge of assault by beating.
Flack’s grieving mum believes she would still be alive today had her daughter not been charged (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Christine says the TV star was focused on reading the ‘bad’ reports about her case, instead of the support (Picture: Twitter/Caroline Flack)
A coroner later ruled the presenter took her life as she knew she was facing prosecution and feared media attention over a trial.
After the Met concluded it had done no wrong, Christine complained to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which has now said the Met’s investigation into Christine’s complaint ‘was not reasonable and proportionate’.
A spokesman for the Met Police said: ‘Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Ms Flack’s family for their loss and we are sorry for the impact this has had on them.
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‘When a person is arrested, they can be held in custody for a period of up to 24 hours to allow officers time to gather evidence and investigate the alleged offence.
‘A review by the Independent Office for Police Conduct did not identify any misconduct in relation to the handling of Ms Flack’s arrest, however, it concluded that an officer involved in the investigation should receive reflective practice.’
Newsnight airs weekdays at 10:30pm on BBC Two.
Need support?
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
If you’re a young person, or concerned about a young person, you can also contact PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide UK. Their HOPELINK digital support platform is open 24/7, or you can call 0800 068 4141, text 07860039967 or email: [email protected] between the hours of 9am and midnight.
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The Met failed to keep records on the reason why Flack was charged.