Caroline Flack’s mother today angrily confronted the police officer who pushed for the TV star to be prosecuted, telling her: “I just think you should be disgusted with yourself.”
Christine Flack accused Detective Inspector Lauren Bateman of treating the presenter differently because of her celebrity status, and failing to properly investigate the case before pursuing an assault charge.
The CPS initially wanted to give Ms Flack a caution for striking boyfriend Lewis Burton on the head, but the Met appealed that decision to try to force a criminal prosecution.
The Love Island host, 40, was arrested on December 12 last year, and took her own life two months later while awaiting her trial.
Questioning DI Bateman this morning, Mrs Flack said the criminal charge was “life changing” for her daughter and urged the officer to think carefully before making future decisions.
“If it was an ordinary person, you wouldn’t have been bothered with that that night”, she said. “I know the world, I’ve seen domestic abuse, and I just think you should be disgusted with yourself because nothing can bring Caroline back but this didn’t need to happen.”
Saying she hoped the officer regretted her decision, she said: “That girl killed herself because you put an appeal through.”
Ms Flack was arrested at her north London home after Mr Burton called 999 to claim that his girlfriend was attacking him.
“Did you take into account that Mr Burton was intoxicated, and had been drinking all day?”, asked Mrs Flack.
“In the phone call his account was unreliable due to his state, while Caroline was consistent the whole way through her story.”
The officer replied: “I don’t believe I recall that, I can’t remember.”
The inquest has heard how Ms Flack cut her own arm after striking Mr Burton on the head, having discovered texts on his phone that indicated he was cheating on her.
Mr Burton is accused of taking pictures of blood-soaked sheets after Ms Flack had been taken away by police, and then passing them on to friends including an ex-girlfriend. The images then appeared in The Sun.
“You left Mr Burton in her home, he didn’t live there," continued Mrs Flack. “He was allowed to take pictures of the blood of Caroline and send them to friends, and they appeared in national papers. It was not explained it was her blood, not his.
“You did not do DNA, You say it was a serious domestic abuse case but you didn’t investigate it.”
Mrs Flack challenged DI Bateman’s decision not to speak to Ms Flack before seeking a criminal charge, saying: “You never saw Caroline, you never saw any evidence, you went on a drunken phone call from a man.”
The officer replied: “In hindsight I could have gone to speak to her, but routinely I wouldn’t have done that.”
DI Bateman said she had no idea how long Ms Flack spent in custody, and was unaware her sister had spent nine hours outside Holborn police station waiting for her.
Mrs Flack said police are being investigated over the handling of the case, insisting: “This so important to me. I will never get Caroline back but she was not an abuser.”
DI Bateman told the hearing: “I’m not saying Caroline was an abuser.”
Earlier, the inquest heard how the Met Police believed Ms Flack was getting special treatment as a celebrity when the CPS initially recommended not prosecuting her for domestic violence.
Alison Wright, a CPS prosecutor, said in a report that she initially decided a police caution was the right call, but her decision was appealed by the Met.
“The police claim I have taken a biased view because Caroline flack is a celebrity”, she wrote. “I have explained this is not the case, just because she is a celebrity doesn’t preclude her from having the guidelines applied to her.
“She should and is, in my opinion, be treated the same as any other suspect presented to the CPS for a charging decision.”
Ms Wright said she believed <s Flack had admitted the offence, and a letter from the presenter’s solicitor had suggested a caution for ABH might be the appropriate outcome.
However the Met lodged an appeal against the decision, and a senior lawyer within the CPS ultimately opted to charge Ms Flack with assault.
DI Lauren Bateman was asked if she had been “motivated by Caroline’s celebrity status” when pursuing the appeal, but she replied: “Absolutely not. I would have done absolutely the same with others. I know that to be the case.”
She added: “Although I disagreed with the caution, the appeal process is having a conversation with a senior lawyer and while saying I disagree in the appeals process it is for the CPS to make a final decision.”
Ms Flack’s family have claimed she was being pursued for a “show trial”, suggesting the decision to bring a criminal charge showed she was being “taught a lesson in a way a non-celebrity wouldn’t have been”.
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