In the new Disney+ documentary, Caroline Flack’s friend Mollie said: “Throughout this whole thing, Caroline’s worst nightmare was that the body cam footage was going to be released”
Caroline Flack’s “nightmare” fear was that police body cam footage from the night of her fight with Lewis would be shown in court where she appeared “half naked and unhinged”.
On the night of December 12, 2019, Caroline and boyfriend Lewis Burton had both been on night’s out separately enjoying some drinks.
Once they got home they went to bed laughing and joking but after Lewis fell asleep his phone went and it was messages from another woman.
The pair then got into a row and Caroline hit Lewis with a phone before he called 999.
Very sadly, Caroline also told best friend Mollie Grosberg at that moment she felt her boyfriend was “gone” and her career could also be over and so she deliberately self-harmed before the police arrived. This meant there was blood in the room and on their bed.
Police video footage picks up on some of this and the Crime Prosecution Service intended to use the footage in court as evidence, where Caroline would have been facing an assault charge.
In the new Disney+ documentary, friend Mollie said: “Throughout this whole thing, Caroline’s worst nightmare was that the body cam footage was going to be released. It wasn’t because she was scared of what she’d done to Lewis. She was scared because she looks completely and utterly unhinged in this body cam footage.”
Her Lawyer Paul Morris also agrees the body cam footage was a big issue for Caroline.
He said: “This was a snapshot into her private life at its worst. She was covered in blood. She was half naked. She was in a really dark place.”
And her mum Christine said: “It showed her mental health, if you like. She knew it wasn’t going to make her guilty of abuse, but it was going to show her to the outside world how she sometimes felt.”
Her agent Louisa Booth becomes tearful when she thinks about it. Looking back, Louise said: “She kept saying to me, I just can’t have people see the body cam footage. I can’t have my family know that that’s out there. And I just think she was not thinking of herself. I think she’s thinking of other people actually.”
Caroline was clinging to the idea the court case would still be dropped. But she found out it would definitely go ahead on Feb 13.
She messaged her friend: “They won’t drop the case. My life is over. The bodycam. My head is throbbing.”
Her Lawyer Paul Morris said: “This case was prosecuted because, in my view, it would have been more difficult to stop the snowball rolling than it would be to just let it continue. Saving face, I think adequately describes the stance that I think was taken.”
Former head of CPS crown prosecutor Nazir Afzal studies the police documents gathered by Christine and is in no doubt she should only have received a caution.
He tells the documentary: “Having looked at all your evidence I can’t understand why they rushed the judgement. This was a case where there is no previous history, no coercive behaviour. Mr Burton never wanted this case and was adamant. This was a one off occasion where she lost her temper and did what she did, which she accepts. For all of those reasons, the very worst thing that should have happened was a caution.”
He added: “I have prosecuted thousands of these cases, none of this makes sense. Almost immediately in the cold light of day, prosecutors would have formed a view that this case is going nowhere and they should have stopped the case. They are required to stop the case where there is insufficient evidence. I can’t think of any reason to proceed, unless they were scared of what the media were going to say about them. It is not about losing face, this is about justice. My take on it is Caroline would still be with us if certain decisions weren’t taken in that month or two.”
Caroline went into a meltdown after receiving the news, trashing her flat and friends including Mollie rushed there and had to call for an ambulance, but she eventually calmed down and managed to go to sleep.
However she then urged friends to go home the next morning as her sister would be coming to the flat later on February 15.
But her sister Jody arrived at a locked door and the sounds of Caroline’s dog barking. Once inside she learned that Caroline had died.
Caroline’s mum Christine ends the documentary by saying: “I want to stress to anyone feeling that bad, that scared and tired of life, there’s always a way forward.
“You know, you’re not strange. If you have depression, you’re not strange. If you’ve got mental health problems, you’re normal. That’s life, and it’s just helping deal with that and making you feel okay about it, because you know, you should just feel okay about it.”
*Both episodes of Caroline Flack: Search For The Truth premiere on Disney+ today.
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. Refuge is the largest domestic abuse organisation in the UK and can be Contacted free 24/7 on 0808 2000 247
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READ MORE: Caroline Flack documentary ‘Search for the Truth’ release date and how to watch
