Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth raises questions about assault charges and British tabloid ethics

In February of 2020, when the news broke that UK television presenter Caroline Flack had died by suicide, the British tabloid media immediately came under scrutiny for its coverage of her final months.

The months leading up to the star's death were tumultuous as she faced charges of assault against her boyfriend, Lewis Burton, and was forced to leave her job hosting Love Island.

While she may not be a household name in Australia, her death made international headlines, prompting calls for better laws around media regulation.

Now, the conduct during that time of UK media, police and the Crown Prosecution Service is being examined in a new documentary centred around her mother, Christine Flack, who is still searching for answers.

In the opening minutes of the documentary, the grieving mother sifts through pages of documents she has collected for five years.

"I've got the transcripts of the police videos and the 999 calls from the night of the arrest," she said.

"They don't add up."

Here is how Caroline Flack: Search for Truth uncovers how her loved ones say she went from TV star to Tabloid Target and how it could have been avoided.

Who was Caroline Flack?

In the two-part docuseries, videos from Caroline Flack's life show her smiling, giggling and joking around with her friends.

"When she visited, the atmosphere changed, she had her down times but mostly it was good times, but that's hard to think of now without feeling really sad," her mother told the camera.

One of the UK's most successful television presenters, Flack hosted the X Factor and Love Island, accepting a BAFTA award for the dating show when the series won in 2018.

The presenter also won the UK's Strictly Come Dancing and was the subject of fascination over her love life, dating several high-profile celebrities, including Prince Harry and Harry Styles.

Paul Martin, an entertainment journalist interviewed in the documentary, said the tabloids were "obsessed" with Flack.

"If you were writing stories about her, you were making good money," he said.

"Her love life as a journalist was just intoxicating."

Her mother said she was "very alive" and adored, describing her as someone who "loved her life".

"She loved her life, she loved her work and she loved her family," Christine Flack said.

"Caroline had an ability to talk to contestants, to really connect with them," agent Louise Booth said.

"I think that's because she cared about them, that's why they loved her being a presenter on Love Island."

Alleged assault

On the evening of December 19, 2019, a month before a new season of Love Island was due to kick off, police were called to the London flat Flack shared with her tennis player boyfriend, Lewis Burton.

The couple had been out separately and had "had a bit to drink", her mother told the documentary, when Burton fell asleep and texts from another woman began to appear on his phone.

Flack, still holding the phone, tried to wake him up, causing his head to bleed, Paul Morris, Flack's solicitor, said.

Burton called 999 to report her for assault.

"My girlfriend is beating me up," transcripts from the calls read.

"Please, we're having an argument … she's breaking stuff."

He said at the time, he did not know what he had been struck with and thought it could have been a lamp, which was reported by the tabloid media.

There were also reports of blood throughout the bed.

In the documentary, Christine Flack explained that despite certain media reports, the blood was Caroline's.

Caroline allegedly told a friend, Mollie Grosberg, she picked up a piece of glass and purposefully cut herself when she realised the incident might become public.

When the photos were published, Burton took to his Instagram account and said: "B******t this isn't my blood and I didn't get hit over the head with a lamp. Can everyone stop now."

Burton has not commented further on Flack's death and did not take part in the documentary.

Flack immediately admitted fault to police, according to a police transcript.

"It's me, I did it, I didn't know my phone was going to hit him in the head."

Photographs show a small mark on Burton's head in the documentary, while it was Flack who was sent to hospital for her injuries.

"I love her, I don't want this to be in the press, she'll harm herself, I'm telling you," Burton said in police video transcripts.

"She thought, 'I'm done, my career is over, my boyfriend is gone, I might as well be dead,'" friend Mollie Grosberg said.

Police proceed with charges

After spending 12 hours in hospital, Flack was taken to the police station, where the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) initially decided not to charge her with assault and instead issued a caution.

In the UK, the CPS decides if an individual should be charged with an offence.

"I do not believe that the case is in the public interest, as the injured party does not support the allegation," the initial report read.

But according to the documentary, following police intervention, the CPS overturned its decision and she was charged with "assault by beating".

Despite her boyfriend's wishes, CPS proceeded with criminal proceedings and Flack was prohibited from contacting Burton as a bail condition.

Morris told the documentary he was shocked by the speed of proceedings and lack of a statement by Lewis Burton.

"It rapidly became apparent to me that Caroline Flack was being prosecuted not for what happened, she was being prosecuted because she was Caroline Flack."

Christine Flack said her daughter had struggled with bouts of depression throughout her life and there were grave concerns for her following the arrest.

Morris and Flack's agent, Louise Booth, submitted reports to CPS that showed evidence she was not in a fit mental state to handle the court case.

"We sent psychiatric reports to the CPS saying she is not fit and well mentally to go through this. We had professional analysis and that was ignored, we were taken aback," Booth said.

Media coverage

Awaiting further legal proceedings, Caroline Flack was found dead in her London flat in February of 2020.

The coroner ruled she had died by suicide after an inquest heard how her mental health had deteriorated following her arrest.

At the time of her death, talent agent Jonathan Shalit told BBC radio that Flack received "more negative press than a terrorist or a paedophile" over the trial.

In January of 2020, The Sun published a photo taken of her blood-stained bed on the night of the arrest.

Her agent, Louise Booth, said she reacted "terribly" to the release of the photos because of the embarrassment.

The Sun defended the decision to run the picture because she was a "well-known television personality", in a statement provided to the documentary.

A day before Flack's suicide, The Sun published a story about the sale of a Valentine's card poking fun at allegations she had assaulted Lewis Burton with a lamp.

"It's not journalism, it's bullying," Christine Flack said.

"It was like another nail in the coffin."

CPS handling of case

Christine Flack said after her daughter's death, she pushed for police to do an investigation into their handling of the case.

"[They] came back to me and said they found nothing wrong," she said in the documentary.

After contacting the Independent Office for Police Conduct, a statement saying there were "individual and organisational failings" was shown on the documentary.

"It turns out the police officer that had wanted to charge Caroline had applied the wrong criteria when deciding whether she should be charged," Christine Flack said.

"The Met did apologise, but only for not taking proper notes.

"They will not admit that they were wrong to push for Caroline to be prosecuted.

"The punishment was so disproportionate, given the risks to her health."

The documentary shared a statement from a Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson, which said:

"Caroline's death was a tragedy and our thoughts remain with her friends and family as they continue to come to terms with their loss and the circumstances that led to her death.

"All decisions in this case were made on the basis of the medical opinion available to us at the time.

"A person's celebrity status never influences whether a case is taken forward. We are satisfied that the prosecution was correctly brought."