Caroline Flack Search for the Truth Season 1 Episode 1

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Transcript

00:00Oh, my God, I've had an idea.

00:15Like, sorry, I know you're in a shower.

00:19I think I should make a documentary about all of this.

00:23What do you think?

00:24Call it bail.

00:30Please welcome your host, Caroline Flack.

00:34One of Britain's most successful and most loved presenters.

00:41Love Island, Strictly, X Factor.

00:44Without a doubt, Caroline had the star quality.

00:47Every time you put Caroline Flack in the newspapers, they sold.

00:50You don't imagine your daughter's going to be so successful

00:53and you just sit back and watch an amazement, really.

00:56She was top of her game.

00:57Caroline!

00:58Wow, a BAFTA.

01:01Caroline had an ability to talk to contestants.

01:06It's the best job in the world.

01:09The press were obsessed with her.

01:12She dated both Harry Styles and Prince Harry.

01:15Her love life was just intoxicating.

01:19She was the golden girl who delivered for so many years.

01:21The former Love Island presenter has denied charges of assaulting her boyfriend, Lewis Burton.

01:35We saw the tide turn on her.

01:38An editor rang me up.

01:39He said, listen, if she's not willing to talk to you, go and fuck her over.

01:42The media coverage was shocking.

01:45Blast his head right in.

01:46The place was a bloodbath.

01:48It was like a horror movie.

01:50I can't go home.

01:52I'm receiving so much abuse.

01:54It destroyed her.

01:57Caroline Flack has been found dead in her London flat.

02:01She took her own life.

02:03I was standing with her body and somebody was calling me to fact check that she was dead.

02:10It was so disgusting.

02:13People seem to think that committing suicide absolves you of every horrible thing you've ever done in your life.

02:19It doesn't.

02:20Basically, she was guilty.

02:22She was guilty.

02:26As a mother, I just want justice for my daughter.

02:30People think they know what happened to Caroline, but the reality is much darker.

02:36Questions have been raised about the Crown Prosecution Service charges against her.

02:41In 27 years of practice, I have never seen a case like this.

02:45She was being prosecuted, not for what she'd done or not done.

02:50She'd been prosecuted because she was Caroline Flack.

02:54Her phones tell the real story.

02:57I'm going through the shit.

02:59I'm just really going all over the place.

03:02Today's the cutoff point.

03:04That's what we're waiting for.

03:05What's the cutoff for what?

03:06Find out whether it's going to court or not.

03:10I'm scared.

03:12I've not talked about this before.

03:13Well, tabloids couldn't get enough of it.

03:16People feed off that like vampires.

03:19This was a national scandal on a par with phone hacking.

03:25I would do anything to clear Caroline's name.

03:29I want the truth to come out.

03:30Hello, I'm Caroline Flack.

03:48That was funny.

03:55The real Caroline before this happened was just fun.

04:01How do you invite a snail to a party?

04:03I don't know.

04:07Do you want to come to a party?

04:09When she visited, the atmosphere changed.

04:13Yeah, she had her down times, but mostly it was good times.

04:20That's hard to think of that now without feeling really sad.

04:27Caroline died with the world believing the headlines in the papers that she'd hit her boyfriend with a lamp.

04:50And they called her a domestic abuser.

04:52This was a case like any other domestic abuse case, like the thousand a day that the Crown Prosecution Service prosecute.

05:00That was so far from the truth.

05:02I've spent the last five years just trying to get some answers about what happened to her.

05:10I've seen all the police statements, but they're so inconsistent.

05:13One says one thing, one says another.

05:15They don't add up.

05:17I've got the transcripts of the 999 calls and the police videos on the night of the arrest.

05:23And there's so much information the public haven't seen.

05:26Why they pursued the prosecution, I will never understand that.

05:30I would do anything that would help.

05:33I would do anything that would give me answers as to why they did what they did to Carrie.

05:39I want the truth to come out about what happened the night of the incident,

05:45what happened at the police station, and what the press have done,

05:48and how it all ended with her committing suicide.

05:54Caroline Flack.

05:57Welcome to the hot desk, I can't even begin.

05:59I'm not going to be able to keep a straight face during this.

06:02This is serious.

06:03Okay, sorry.

06:03Answer the following questions without thinking.

06:06Chocolate or cocktails?

06:07Chocolate.

06:07TV or radio?

06:08TV.

06:09Phone or makeup?

06:10Phone.

06:15These are some of Carrie's phones.

06:18She had a ridiculous amount.

06:20She was so frightened of anyone finding her phone, seeing her phone, phone hacking,

06:26that she was continuously changing them.

06:29She always had a phone in her hand.

06:31Everything was on there, and it especially captures the last three months of her life.

06:40Caroline wasn't allowed to speak out after her arrest.

06:44She kept being advised not to say anything, be quiet.

06:47And she so wanted to have a voice.

06:52So as much as I've dreaded going into Carrie's phones,

06:56I think there's some merit in looking at them now,

06:59and just getting her own words out there,

07:03to tell people what she was going through at the time.

07:07It's strange, because some are so normal.

07:11When the day, when she feels good on a day,

07:15and then something will happen,

07:18and it just goes into...

07:22She just goes down, just...

07:25I can't understand what's happening to her.

07:30I'm just driving back to my mum's.

07:32I'm sorry about yesterday. I'm going through the shit.

07:40I'm just really going all over the place in my head

07:43to know what to think of any place.

07:49Good evening.

07:50Now, this is a story of long, long ago

07:55Set in the chase at the bird

07:58She was one-off out of the four children, really.

08:02She was always a character.

08:04What are you doing, Carrie?

08:05I love you.

08:06She was the funny one as well.

08:08She'd make us laugh.

08:09She liked performing to me and her dad.

08:15Carrie and her twin sister, Jo,

08:17they'd never grown apart.

08:19It was always them two against the world.

08:23My oldest daughter, Lizzie, was ten when the twins were born.

08:27When they got up in the night,

08:28they'd get in her bed, which was lovely.

08:31Paul being the only boy was the fun aspect.

08:35He'd get all the naughty things, really, with them.

08:41When she died, you realise

08:44how quickly your family can change.

08:48I've amazingly not still been able to watch anything

08:58that she's done at all.

09:00As soon as I watch her,

09:04the reality hits.

09:11Let's do this.

09:12Let's go to the bench, tidy it.

09:13There he is.

09:17I come here and you have different moods when you're here, don't you?

09:23That day I must have felt really not as good.

09:26I just put, um, another lonely year has passed.

09:31I missed you just as much today as the day you left.

09:37I'm doing my very best to tell the world

09:39what some awful people drove you to.

09:43I won't give up.

09:45Love you with all my heart.

09:46Do you think there'll ever be a moment, Mum,

09:54when you feel content that you can stop fighting?

09:59I hope I can stop.

10:01I hope there'll be an end to it.

10:04You can't fight for the rest of your life,

10:06but you can fight until the truth is out there.

10:09My main anxiety is

10:12you're dealing with organisations that are so corrupt

10:16and they've got so much money

10:18and they've got legal experts.

10:20Can you really get ever to the truth in these organisations?

10:25What's the first thing you think of when you wake up every morning?

10:28Probably the same as me.

10:29I know, yeah.

10:30Do you think the newspapers and the police do?

10:33No, they've forgotten about it, so, you know what I mean?

10:35It's like, it's not their problem anymore.

10:37I just hope I can achieve something

10:41and as long as you lot all, you know, don't mind me doing it,

10:46I'll go ahead.

10:58I think Caroline would be pleased with what I'm doing.

11:02I wish I'd done it then, before she took her own life,

11:05and that's my biggest regret, that I wasn't shouting like this then.

11:11But now, I've got nothing to lose.

11:14The worst thing in the world happened with losing Carrie.

11:23State one, take one.

11:24I'm going to put my glasses there.

11:30Probably for most people, they'll think of Caroline,

11:33they'll think Love Island, strictly, X Factor.

11:36But she had been working industriously hard.

11:40Oh, Jesus, it's freezing.

11:42For years before all of that, she hosted Gladiators.

11:46A lot of people might remember her on TMI.

11:48Caroline, are you ready to play a law machine?

11:50We surely are.

11:51And if people didn't turn up to go into the competitions, we'd do it.

11:55This one's my mum.

11:57Caroline had an ability to talk to contestants,

12:02to really connect with them.

12:04My darling, I can see you're really upset.

12:06Come and sit here.

12:07Please come and sit here.

12:08It's so weird.

12:09I think that's because she cared about them.

12:12That's why they loved her being a presenter on Love Island.

12:15So, unfortunately, I'm not here to join the party.

12:18The premise of Love Island, it's finding love.

12:21And Caroline always wanted to find the right person to spend her life with.

12:25You all make such lovely-looking couples.

12:28It almost seems a shame to complicate things.

12:31She wanted it to work out for people

12:33because she wanted love to work out for her.

12:35And the show just took off.

12:37The most watched programme on any channel by viewers under 30.

12:41A cultural phenomenon that's changed the TV landscape.

12:43Wow, a BAFTA.

12:46Come on, come on, come on.

12:49I got to know Caroline about three years before she was arrested.

12:53I think Louis Walsh actually introduced me to her at one point

12:55and said, oh, this is Paul Martin, he's a journalist.

12:58You know, watch him, watch him.

12:59And straight away she was like, oh, are you one of the nice ones

13:01or are you one of the nasty ones?

13:03That's pretty nice, I think, hopefully.

13:05And she goes, right, well, then you're OK by me.

13:06Come on in.

13:06And she gave me a big hug.

13:09The tabloids were obsessed with Caroline.

13:11There's no doubt about it.

13:12If you were writing stories about her, you would be making good money.

13:16Her love life as a journalist was just intoxicating.

13:20This is the girl who started out with Prince Harry.

13:24A story like that is the ultimate prize for any journalist.

13:28Which girl did you find to the most, Harry?

13:30Caroline.

13:31And then to go to another Prince of Pop, basically, Harry Styles,

13:35when he started becoming really huge.

13:37Every week, us journos were waiting for that first kiss

13:40and watched their love life play out in front of all of us.

13:43There was an element of hot mess about Caroline.

13:46And as much as, you know, she may have been seen as a commodity

13:49by the people who want to sell papers,

13:51she also saw the press as a great vessel

13:53to move to the next level in her celebrity.

13:56Some of the stories that I worked on,

13:58Caroline would have planted it herself.

14:00I still want to see you get together.

14:02Oh, my God, that's never going to happen.

14:03So you'd ask if you have the hots for Ollie,

14:05and it'd be like, oh, you know, you could put in a bit,

14:07I didn't tell you, but...

14:08We had an insatiable appetite for stories on Caroline,

14:11and she kept delivering.

14:13It just never stopped.

14:14Have you got a secret crush on anyone at the minute?

14:21I've got a huge crush on someone at the minute.

14:23Do they know?

14:24No.

14:24Are you going to tell them?

14:25We message quite a lot, but...

14:27Really?

14:27I can't seem to take it from friendship to the next level.

14:29I reckon they know.

14:30Do you reckon?

14:31Yeah, if you're messaging all the time, they totally know.

14:34If you're out there,

14:35and I'm sending you friendly messages,

14:37they mean more.

14:39I remember when Caroline told me she'd met this guy,

14:41she really, really, really was besotted with him.

14:47Can you say Lewis, sorry?

14:48OK. Are we allowed to talk about Lewis?

14:50Yeah.

14:51OK.

14:53Lewis was a tennis player.

14:56Very good-looking.

15:01They were in the early stages of their relationship,

15:05so they'd been going out for about six months.

15:07But they definitely had an emotional connection

15:10and a sexual connection.

15:12I kind of say that because it's Disney.

15:17My God, I am hoping for you, babe.

15:22There was a bit of an age difference.

15:24He was in his late 20s.

15:25She was 40.

15:26Some people thought this is a weird pairing.

15:33From a media point of view, it sucked big time

15:36because nobody really knew this guy.

15:38It was like, who?

15:39What's his name again?

15:40He wasn't in the league of any of her ex-boyfriends.

15:43You know, we can't sell a lot of newspapers with that.

15:46But at the same time, I do remember thinking,

15:49this is a bit of a risk by Caroline

15:51because this is a guy who doesn't have any media training,

15:55any experience of fame.

15:57And the problem is Caroline's so big now,

15:59you can't learn it as you go.

16:00You can't make any mistakes in the media.

16:02And he had no experience in that field at all.

16:06They had a really nice time together until they didn't.

16:17On the night of the incident,

16:19Carrie and Lewis had both been out separately.

16:23They got back and Carrie said funny enough

16:25and their cabs threw up at the same time

16:27and they came in.

16:34And they'd both had a bit to drink.

16:36So she said we were laughing and joking.

16:39And they went up to bed

16:41and she said Lewis fell asleep.

16:45But then his phone went.

16:48She picked the phone up

16:50and there were texts from another woman.

16:55Caroline had found out

16:57that there were messages from a third party on the phone.

16:59She was upset.

16:59She was holding on to the phone.

17:01It was the confirmation of her worst fears.

17:04And she kept it in her hand

17:06and with that, she's trying to wake Lewis up.

17:09She said, I got my phone like this

17:11and I just went, Lewis.

17:13Wake up, wake up.

17:14It's a firm gesture, but the phone's in the hand

17:17and her hands and the phone together are here in her head.

17:19She hit him with her phone

17:21and he kind of stood up.

17:22His head was bleeding.

17:23She was shouting.

17:24He was screaming.

17:24He was frustrated that she'd accessed his telephone.

17:29She was upset at what she'd seen on the phone.

17:31He said, oh, if you keep on

17:33and look, my head's bleeding now,

17:35I'll phone the police.

17:36And she was screaming, please don't call the police.

17:38If you call the police, I'm done.

17:40And he said, no, he said, you're fucked.

17:43I didn't know if he really meant to do that,

17:46but it was a very charged situation

17:47and they were absolutely wasted.

17:51Emergency, which service?

17:52The minute that he called the police,

18:05she just thought, I am done.

18:07My career's over.

18:08My boyfriend's gone.

18:09I might as well be dead.

18:10She said to me, I found some broken glass

18:13and I sliced as deep as I could into my wrists

18:17and I wanted to die.

18:18I just wanted it to be over.

18:21The police arrived

18:22and an ambulance arrived.

18:26Everything's captured now on video.

18:28Caroline and Lewis were trying to piece together

18:29what actually was happening to them,

18:31having been asleep, having been intoxicated

18:33and both feeling upset with one another.

18:40It had all taken place so quickly

18:41that nobody could really quite work out what was going on.

18:50Caroline was upset and remorseful.

18:52They took Lewis out

19:02and he didn't need anything at all.

19:03They said, it's fine.

19:04There was this little mark here.

19:06But they said Caroline would need to go to hospital.

19:20Caroline spent 12 hours in hospital.

19:22Being treated for injuries to her arms.

19:26She'd actually cut them down to the muscle.

19:30They said she would need plastic surgery on her arms.

19:34They then took her to the police station

19:37where she was locked in a cell.

19:41The tabloids were aware of what had happened

19:45very, very quickly.

19:47They got a tip-off from a neighbour

19:50who had contacted the press.

19:52The press were at Caroline's flat

19:55almost immediately after she was arrested.

19:58And that set in turn

20:00absolute deluge of phone calls to the local police

20:03from press.

20:05You've got Caroline Flack.

20:06What's she done?

20:07What's the charges?

20:08Is she still being held in custody?

20:10Are you going to charge her?

20:11You're going to charge her, aren't you?

20:14As soon as I heard she'd been arrested,

20:16I felt sick.

20:19I was messaging her incessantly

20:21and they weren't delivering.

20:23It was like a drum was beating really heavily inside me.

20:27But they seized her phone.

20:29I was in Norfolk

20:31but Jodie, her twin sister,

20:33had been called to the police station

20:35and she called me.

20:36She said,

20:36Well, I'm here, Mum.

20:38I'll take her home.

20:39You can come there.

20:40Then a policeman came out and said,

20:43It's OK.

20:44The Crown Prosecution Service

20:45don't want to charge Carrie.

20:48She'll be out shortly.

20:50The Crown Prosecution Service,

20:52they decide whether somebody

20:55should be charged with an offence.

20:59As part of my investigation,

21:02I've managed to get my hands on

21:03the original decision

21:05from the Crown Prosecution Service.

21:08And it says,

21:09I do not believe that the case

21:11is in the public interest

21:12to prosecute

21:13as the injured party

21:15does not support the allegation.

21:17There is no domestic violence history

21:19between the parties.

21:20The suspect is 40 years old

21:22and has no previous convictions.

21:25The cut, the injured person,

21:27did not require medical intervention.

21:30Therefore, they just wanted

21:31to carry a caution.

21:34A caution is effectively

21:35a first warning.

21:36It doesn't require a prosecution

21:38or for somebody to go to court.

21:40It's a sanction

21:41that's imposed by the police

21:43and it's a record of sorts.

21:45But a caution will have drawn things

21:47to a conclusion there and then

21:48and enabled Lewis and Caroline

21:49to move on with their lives.

21:53But what had happened is

21:55a detective had come on duty

21:57and she had overheard

22:00other police in the office

22:03talking about the case

22:05and decided to step in

22:09to say that she thought

22:14Caroline should be charged.

22:15I've experienced the domestic violence cases,

22:35but all that kept going through my mind

22:37was the speed at which this was all happening.

22:39Why not take stock

22:42of what's really gone on here?

22:43Do you have a complainant

22:44that hasn't given a statement?

22:46Go and talk to him.

22:47See how he feels.

22:49Let the dust settle

22:50and then let's decide

22:52where the best place

22:53and route for this should be.

22:55And that's what would ordinarily happen,

22:57but it didn't.

22:58And it rapidly became apparent to me

23:00that Caroline Flack was being

23:03prosecuted not for what happened

23:05or what she'd done or not done.

23:07She'd been prosecuted because she was Caroline Flack.

23:09I saw Caroline the day after her arrest

23:14and she was staying at her sister's house

23:16in London, hiding away.

23:18She was absolutely shattered

23:19and actually we sat on the sofa

23:21and I remember us both being

23:25in complete shock

23:28that this was happening.

23:29Oh my gosh, what is going on, girl?

23:45You would think that she is

23:47the type to assault a man.

23:50Maybe it's not the first time.

23:51Maybe she's an abuser.

23:52We don't know.

23:54Within about 10 minutes

23:55of the story breaking,

23:56we had major national newspaper editors

23:58on the phone calling me

24:00and anybody else who would have known her

24:01saying, come on,

24:02we're going to get everything on this girl.

24:04It was all hands on deck.

24:06Newspapers were putting teams together,

24:08which you do very rarely

24:09unless it's something that you would think

24:11is going to be big story of the year.

24:13So they've sent teams out

24:14to find every cough and spit,

24:16as they say,

24:16we want to know,

24:17will he speak?

24:19Is there more pictures?

24:20Is her TV career over?

24:28The job I do,

24:32there's no rule book

24:32and there's definitely no guidance

24:35on what to do

24:36if your client ends up arrested

24:40and being held in a cell overnight.

24:44But we were suddenly answerable

24:46to her employers.

24:49Imagine everybody gets very jittery

24:51when there's a negative story.

24:53Obviously she's been charged

24:54with a very serious offence.

24:56I think ITV were in a really,

24:58really difficult position

24:59because she was due to go to South Africa.

25:01It was the first winter Love Island.

25:03Sorry, Wendell.

25:04You're just not our type.

25:06And I think they made the decision

25:09that they had to make.

25:12The television presenter Caroline Flack

25:14has said she will stand down

25:16as the host of the upcoming series

25:18of Love Island.

25:24You can't have the presenter

25:25of a romance relationship show

25:27who's been accused of domestic abuse

25:29and arrested for it.

25:32It's a massive deal,

25:34both for the show

25:35and for the viewers.

25:36The new series starts

25:37really, really soon.

25:39Caroline did not take

25:40the news well at all.

25:41You feel you've lost

25:43the show you own

25:44and it's the beginning

25:45of everything crumbling.

25:47Oh, hi there.

26:06I wonder if you can help.

26:07What I'm after is,

26:09if I could speak to

26:10Smart Rowley, please,

26:12the chief of the Met Police.

26:14I'm afraid you can't

26:15ask to speak to the commissioner.

26:18Can I ask who you are?

26:20Yeah, yeah.

26:21My name's Chris Flack.

26:22My daughter was Caroline Flack.

26:25After Carrie's death,

26:26I started to look into it more.

26:28Christine Flack has said

26:29she believes her daughter

26:30was treated differently

26:31by the police

26:32because she was famous.

26:34Tonight, she accused the CPS

26:36and Metropolitan Police

26:37of a cover-up.

26:38The police did an investigation

26:40and then came back to me

26:41and said they found nothing wrong.

26:43I've been trying to get

26:48an interview with him

26:49for years.

26:50Just five minutes,

26:51face-to-face.

26:53I then wrote to the

26:54Independent Office

26:56for Police Conduct

26:57and they did come back

26:58and say

26:59that the police

27:01hadn't investigated properly.

27:04It turns out

27:05the police officer

27:06that wanted to charge Caroline

27:08had applied the wrong criteria

27:10when deciding

27:11whether she should be charged

27:12and she didn't keep proper notes

27:14as to why she decided

27:16to challenge the CPS.

27:18He's refusing to talk to me

27:20in any way.

27:21My MP has asked,

27:23the mayor's office have asked,

27:25but I'm getting nowhere.

27:27And, yeah.

27:30With the things I've found out

27:32and all the wrongdoings,

27:33I'm really not happy

27:34that they've just dismissed it all now.

27:36The Met did apologise,

27:40but only for not taking proper notes.

27:43They will not admit

27:44that they were wrong

27:45to push for Caroline

27:46to be prosecuted.

27:47Because of a police error,

27:49my daughter's died.

27:51That's how I see it anyway.

27:53And I think to take

27:54a few minutes to talk to me

27:56is nothing.

27:58OK, well, what I'll do

27:58is I'll pass your message on

27:59and I'll go and flag it to you now.

28:00For the last almost five years,

28:04I've had the same answer

28:06as that lady just gave me.

28:08I just want them to admit

28:10that pushing the CPS

28:12to charge Caroline was wrong.

28:15And if the police won't speak to me,

28:17I'm going to find somebody that will.

28:19I've looked online

28:21to see who I could contact

28:23that may be able to

28:24talk about the Met Police.

28:26And I came across this lady,

28:29Jess MacDonald,

28:30and she'd been in the Met Police.

28:33It says here,

28:34during her time with the force,

28:36she was posted

28:37to the Community Safeguarding Unit,

28:39which deals with,

28:40among other crimes,

28:42cases of domestic violence.

28:43I can sort of hear her

28:56saying these things

28:57because they're the things

28:58she was thinking and saying.

29:00The reason she was worried

29:02and thought, you know,

29:04she may go to prison

29:04was because the detective

29:06that was working the night

29:07had got the CPS

29:09to change their ruling

29:10and to charge her.

29:12What I'd like to understand is,

29:14was Caroline treated

29:15the same as everybody else

29:17or was she treated differently?

29:21Hello.

29:26So I've been through

29:27all the paperwork

29:28in Caroline's case

29:30and there's just so much

29:34that shouts out to me

29:35as abnormal treatment

29:37and mishandling.

29:39This is an email

29:41sent by the detective inspector

29:43to challenge the decision

29:45to caution Caroline.

29:47She writes that the crux

29:48of the CPS's argument

29:49is that there are sufficient grounds

29:51to issue a caution

29:52as there is a clear admission of guilt.

29:55Mm-hmm.

29:56But she says,

29:57we argue there is not.

30:00However,

30:00from reviewing all the evidence,

30:02Caroline admits guilt consistently.

30:06She never denies

30:07that she hit Lewis with the phone.

30:09Yeah, I've got it here.

30:10She admitted guilt 12 times.

30:13So I don't understand

30:15how this is the opening line.

30:17But also,

30:18she writes of Caroline,

30:19she has caused

30:21a significant injury

30:22as such.

30:23This is most certainly

30:24not a minor offence.

30:26Well, that's absolute nonsense.

30:28Lewis didn't even receive treatment.

30:30No, no stitches,

30:31no glue, nothing.

30:32She appears to be misleading

30:35in the way that she's reporting.

30:38I mean, I just can't believe

30:39in this email

30:40there's like literally no mention

30:41anything about Caroline

30:42that she had serious injuries

30:44and she was very unwell

30:47on that evening.

30:48And you can't just strip factors

30:50that don't suit

30:51your narrative out.

30:53And that kind of brings us

30:54to a briefing note

30:57that was like an internal document

30:59that would be circulated

31:00on the night of the incident.

31:03There's multiple mentions.

31:04So here, for instance,

31:06likely to be significant media interest

31:08as suspect

31:09is television presenter Caroline Flack.

31:12The incident is notable

31:13as Miss Flack

31:14is a recognisable media personality.

31:17So I think the reason

31:18that this is plastered

31:19all over the briefing note

31:20about the media being interested

31:22is because with that

31:23comes public scrutiny.

31:25The Met were under a lot of pressure

31:26because domestic violence

31:28wasn't being dealt with correctly.

31:30So I believe they saw this

31:32as an opportunity

31:32to be like, right,

31:33we will show,

31:35we will get a charge.

31:36We do take domestic violence seriously.

31:39And what I've found out

31:40just since,

31:42this is the first time

31:44that this detective

31:45had ever gone against

31:46a CPS decision.

31:48And that night,

31:50during her shift,

31:52she was dealing with a shooting,

31:54a high-risk missing person,

31:57and yet she still had time

31:59to get involved

32:01in Caroline's case.

32:03Common assault,

32:04which is the lowest level

32:07of physical assault.

32:08If I was to push you now,

32:10that's a common assault.

32:11So the fact that

32:13she got involved

32:14and appealed for the first time

32:16for this common assault

32:17is the most damning piece of evidence

32:20that Caroline's case

32:21was treated differently

32:22and very abnormally.

32:24Speaking to someone like Jess,

32:33it puts it into perspective

32:35that, yeah,

32:36I haven't been wrong

32:37all this time.

32:37Caroline wasn't wrong.

32:39Her lawyer wasn't wrong.

32:40What they did to Caroline

32:41that night

32:42was horrendous.

32:43I'm not here

32:46to defend domestic violence.

32:49I've had family members

32:51that have suffered

32:51domestic violence,

32:52and it's the most awful thing.

32:56And what's even more hurtful,

32:57when they've tried to get help,

32:59there's been no help out there.

33:01The police don't want to know.

33:03Caroline was not

33:05a domestic abuser.

33:06This was a one-off incident,

33:09and Caroline's injuries,

33:10which she had done to herself,

33:12were much more serious.

33:13I'm doing this

33:24because I want to remember

33:24what I went through,

33:28what my family went through,

33:32what my boyfriend went through,

33:34what his family went through.

33:36It's three days

33:37after I've been arrested.

33:39I'm in a fight

33:39with my boyfriend.

33:40I've always cooperated

33:43with the police

33:44since they arrived.

33:46I was put in a cell.

33:49I was promised

33:50that I was anonymous

33:52and this wouldn't go any further,

33:54because it was a really

33:55private situation.

33:58Five minutes after

33:59I left the station,

34:00been going to the press,

34:05all the details,

34:05everything.

34:06Since then,

34:08I lost my job.

34:13The job I've worked

34:14all my life on.

34:15I'm living in a hotel.

34:20I'm receiving

34:20so much abuse.

34:21After she'd been arrested,

34:27she couldn't go home

34:27because the press

34:28were just outside her house,

34:30hounding everybody,

34:31her family,

34:32her friends,

34:33her house.

34:33It wasn't safe for her.

34:34So she went

34:36and stayed

34:36at this hotel,

34:38the Ned,

34:39because it was private there.

34:50She didn't leave the room

34:52apart from occasionally

34:54go and have dinner

34:55and some friends

34:56would come over,

34:57but the majority

34:58of her time

34:59for a while

35:00was spent

35:00in that hotel room.

35:02I was speaking

35:05to her many times a day.

35:07I wanted her

35:08to leave London

35:09and come with me.

35:10You know,

35:10just come and stay with me,

35:12forget everything.

35:12But she wasn't

35:13listening to anything.

35:16She was a woman,

35:17you know,

35:17she was 40 years old.

35:19She wasn't a child.

35:21Her life was being

35:23cancelled every day.

35:25And if I said,

35:26oh, just don't worry about it,

35:27you've got this,

35:28you've got that,

35:28it was not what

35:29she wanted to hear.

35:30It's a different,

35:31different mindset

35:33you're in at that time.

35:35And it's hard

35:36for someone

35:37like me

35:38to understand that.

35:40It was a fight.

35:45I've never hurt anyone

35:47in my life.

35:48the only person

35:51I ever hurt

35:51is myself.

35:53Innocent until proven guilty

35:54doesn't really apply

35:56in the world

35:57of celebrity.

35:59Fathers for Justice

36:00created a mugshot

36:02of her saying

36:02this is what

36:03a domestic abuser

36:04looks like.

36:05Suddenly,

36:06the vultures

36:07were sort of

36:07picking at the food

36:09around her.

36:13Suddenly,

36:14Caroline's ex-fiancee

36:15crawls out of the woodwork

36:16and puts up posts

36:17on his Twitter

36:18and Instagram pages.

36:21He had put up

36:22a non-disclosure agreement

36:23that inferred

36:24that he'd been through something

36:25which Caroline

36:26had to hush up as well.

36:29Suddenly,

36:29this story

36:30was developing

36:31more claws.

36:32It was developing

36:34more victims.

36:34Andrew Brady

36:43was on

36:44The Apprentice

36:46and then he went

36:46on to Celebrity Big Brother

36:48and he was

36:49a fun

36:49young guy.

36:51She did like him.

36:53They

36:53even got engaged.

36:55First thing,

36:56congratulations,

36:57Miss.

36:57Can you show you

36:58a sparkly ring

36:58into my camera,

36:59please?

37:00It needs to be

37:00sized.

37:01But it was

37:03very apparent

37:04that they were

37:05not going to work.

37:07It was not

37:08a calm relationship.

37:10It was fiery.

37:11It was so dramatic.

37:13Consistently having

37:14to firefight

37:14an argument

37:16that they'd had

37:16and he would

37:17threaten to go

37:18to the press

37:19which happened

37:19all the time.

37:21I've been there

37:22for some

37:23really horrendous

37:24horrific arguments

37:25but it was never

37:26a scary

37:27encounter.

37:29She's not scary

37:31to anybody

37:32but she's scary

37:33to herself.

37:34You'd be more

37:34worried that she's

37:35going to do

37:35something to herself

37:36than she was

37:36going to physically

37:38hurt someone.

37:40And that's why

37:41from the first day

37:42that after the

37:43arrest happened

37:43Lewis immediately

37:44said this was

37:45a really bad

37:46argument gone wrong.

37:47I know he really

37:49really regretted

37:50calling the police

37:51and he kept asking

37:52for the case

37:52to be dropped.

37:53And I have to say

38:00in 27 years

38:01of practice

38:02I have never

38:03seen a case

38:04involve a victim

38:05asking not

38:07to prosecute.

38:09But still

38:10prosecution

38:11in scant

38:12cursory

38:13short responses

38:14brushed it back

38:16and said

38:16we reviewed it

38:18and we're proceeding.

38:19The bail conditions

38:25when they released

38:26Caroline were

38:27that she wasn't

38:27allowed to

38:28speak to Lewis.

38:30She couldn't see him.

38:31The narrative was

38:32she's controlling.

38:34She is a danger

38:36to Lewis.

38:36So when she's

38:38posted

38:38I love you Lewis

38:39she then straight away

38:40got a call

38:41informing her

38:43that message meant

38:44she'd broken

38:44the bail conditions

38:45and we thought

38:47she could get arrested.

38:47And that was

38:49really scary.

38:50I mean that was

38:50horrifically scary.

38:52The view

38:53to not

38:54allow them

38:55to see each other

38:56was just

38:57compounding

38:58the awfulness

38:59of the situation

39:00and it was

39:01clearly

39:02and evidently

39:03going to

39:04and did

39:05send Caroline

39:05into an enormous

39:07spiral downwards.

39:13Caroline

39:14struggles

39:15to be alone

39:16so

39:17with this

39:17relationship

39:18being taken

39:18away from her

39:19her mental health

39:20at that point

39:20was on a

39:21serious decline.

39:26Are you two

39:27good mates?

39:29Yeah we're best friends.

39:30What's the worst

39:31thing she does?

39:32Go on.

39:33The worst thing?

39:34Yeah what's the worst thing?

39:35She doesn't answer

39:35her phone.

39:36She's busy.

39:37She worries a lot.

39:39If I don't answer

39:39my phone she gets

39:40in the car and

39:40drives to London.

39:41Yeah that's great.

39:42Knocks on my door.

39:43Why don't you

39:43answer your phone?

39:44When I talk

39:46about Caroline

39:46and her mental

39:48health people

39:49say well everyone

39:50would feel sad

39:51if they'd been

39:51arrested

39:52and yes

39:52they would

39:53but she had

39:55these problems

39:55already.

39:58It started

39:59I mean even

39:59as a small

40:00child she

40:01she had highs

40:02and lows.

40:02she could be

40:06like so high

40:07but then she

40:08could just

40:09slump down.

40:11Carrie why

40:12are you crying

40:12by that?

40:13As she got

40:14older it

40:15got even

40:16worse.

40:18It's when

40:18things all

40:18culminated

40:19it's like

40:20a breakup

40:21not getting

40:22a job

40:22different things

40:23could come

40:24to it.

40:25She had cut

40:25her arms

40:26before she

40:27she went

40:28through a bit

40:28of a spate

40:29of cutting

40:30her arms.

40:30You don't

40:32know why

40:32I don't

40:33think she

40:34wanted attention

40:35because she

40:35had attention

40:36whether it's

40:37because you

40:37hurt yourself

40:38you take

40:38a different

40:39pain away

40:39I don't

40:41know.

40:42What do you

40:42think she

40:43thought of

40:43herself?

40:46I don't

40:47think she

40:47liked herself.

40:49I think she

40:50knew her

40:50thoughts

40:51I think she

40:51knew when

40:52she got

40:53down it

40:54was hard

40:54for people

40:55around her.

40:57As a young

40:58girl she did

40:59take pills

41:00and ended

41:00up in

41:01hospital.

41:03It was

41:03very very

41:04serious.

41:05One doctor

41:06said she

41:06had bipolar.

41:08At the

41:09time they

41:09used to

41:09call it

41:10manic

41:10depression.

41:11She didn't

41:12want to

41:12be told

41:13that.

41:14She didn't

41:14want a

41:15label.

41:16She hated

41:17having this

41:18mental health

41:19problem and

41:20it was always

41:22hushed up.

41:23It was

41:23you know

41:24if anyone

41:24mentioned it

41:25it was the

41:26worst thing

41:27you could

41:27do.

41:28Hello

41:28everybody.

41:28Tripped up

41:30good start

41:31I'm just

41:31coming out

41:32of my

41:32dressing room.

41:33The whole

41:33way through

41:34her career

41:35she suffered

41:36with mental

41:37health.

41:37We're going

41:38live in

41:38about 45

41:40minutes.

41:41And at

41:41those times

41:41if she

41:42had her

41:43work to

41:44go to

41:44it would

41:45make her

41:45come out

41:46of it.

41:47Weirdly

41:47the anxiety

41:49I get more

41:50when I'm not

41:50working.

41:51So actually

41:52work for me

41:52takes away

41:53my anxiety

41:53and doing

41:54live TV

41:54in that moment

41:55when you're

41:56consumed by

41:56something else

41:57Adrenaline

41:58it takes away

41:59any of my

41:59thoughts

42:00it does

42:00it distracts

42:00you.

42:02But this

42:03time her

42:04job had

42:04gone and

42:05I think

42:05that's why

42:06we were

42:06more frightened

42:07of what

42:07was going

42:08on because

42:09we knew

42:10what she

42:10was like.

42:11it was

42:18evident that

42:19there should

42:20have been

42:20a greater

42:21mental health

42:21assessment

42:22and the

42:22impact that

42:23a prosecution

42:25would have

42:25on her

42:25mental health.

42:26For that

42:27reason the

42:27psychiatrist

42:27was instructed

42:30in order to

42:30prepare a

42:30report and

42:32the decision

42:33was made

42:34to disclose

42:34that to

42:35the prosecution.

42:38So we

42:39sent psychiatric

42:40report to

42:41the CPS

42:41so she

42:42is not

42:42fit and

42:43well mentally

42:43to go

42:44through this.

42:44We had

42:45professional

42:46analysis

42:47and that

42:52was ignored.

42:53We were so

42:54taken aback

42:55actually that

42:56they dismissed

42:57the report

42:58from the

42:58psychiatrist.

43:00The actual

43:01crime that

43:02Carrie was

43:03charged with

43:03in the end

43:04was the most

43:05minor charge

43:06you can get.

43:06what she

43:08was going

43:08through it

43:09was just

43:10so over

43:11the top

43:12for what

43:13actually

43:13happened

43:14that night.

43:15The punishment

43:15was so

43:16disproportionate

43:17given the

43:18risks to

43:18her health.

43:20You're screaming

43:20into a void

43:23and no one

43:24is listening

43:24so if that's

43:25how we felt

43:26as management

43:27how did

43:28she feel?

43:36Right.

43:37We're three

43:38weeks to go

43:38until Love Island

43:40returns to our

43:41screens with

43:41its new winter

43:42version in South

43:43Africa.

43:43The host

43:43Caroline Flax

43:44announced she's

43:44standing down.

43:46She was charged

43:47with assault

43:48and that's the

43:48reason why she

43:49is standing down.

43:50But what does

43:50this mean for

43:51the show

43:51because she's

43:51very much

43:52the big

43:52I've never

43:53spoken about

43:53this night.

43:55So it was

43:57the night before

43:57she was due

43:58in court

43:59for was it

44:01the magistrate's

44:03hearing.

44:03The magistrate's

44:04hearing.

44:05Oh okay.

44:09So what you

44:09must tell you

44:10what happened.

44:11Only if you're

44:11comfortable to.

44:12I don't want to

44:12move you down

44:13anywhere.

44:13No no it's

44:14just I've never

44:15really spoken

44:15about it.

44:16So it was a

44:19couple of nights

44:20before Christmas

44:20actually.

44:22Caroline was

44:23staying in a

44:23hotel.

44:25She called a

44:27couple of people

44:27slurring and I

44:29knew then

44:30something was

44:30going on.

44:31So a couple of

44:32us went over

44:33and she was just

44:35completely out of

44:36it on the bed.

44:37I got a phone

44:38call from

44:40Caroline's friends

44:41that she had

44:42taken something

44:45and they

44:47didn't know

44:48what to do.

44:49She drank

44:49the minibar

44:51dry.

44:51She took

44:52whatever tablets

44:53were there in

44:54the hotel room

44:54that had been

44:55prescribed to her.

44:56We were just

44:57freaking out

44:58because the next

44:59day was the

45:00hearing but also

45:01I was thinking

45:02she's going to

45:03die.

45:05So I headed

45:06over to the

45:07hotel.

45:09We called a

45:09doctor.

45:10The doctor came

45:11and he said

45:12can you put your

45:13fingers down her

45:13throat and see if

45:14she can vomit

45:15any medication.

45:17So I did and

45:18a few tablets

45:19came out.

45:20By this point

45:21we're one o'clock

45:22two o'clock in

45:22the morning and

45:24she had to be at

45:26her magistrate's

45:27hearing the next

45:28day quite early as

45:29well.

45:30I just remember

45:30the care of

45:31saying what is

45:31she going to

45:32wear because

45:33nothing was

45:33clean.

45:34But at the

45:35back of your

45:35mind you're

45:36thinking should

45:37she be going

45:38to the

45:38magistrate's

45:39hearing because

45:39she's obviously

45:40really unwell.

45:41I'm a mother

45:42I thought

45:42am I doing

45:44the right thing

45:44here but I

45:45let somebody

45:45do this to

45:45my daughter.

45:46I didn't

45:46know what

45:47was best

45:47but what I

45:50did think was

45:51the short

45:51term pain

45:52that of going

45:53is going to

45:53be better for

45:54her in the

45:54long term.

45:56We got a

45:56mishmash of

45:57clothes together

45:58some of them

45:58maybe have

45:59friends clothes

45:59and we had

46:01her ready for

46:01the next

46:02morning.

46:02It just

46:04shouldn't have

46:05happened.

46:06She shouldn't

46:06have gone.

46:06You know

46:07that day

46:08you can see

46:08her she

46:08probably had

46:10an hour's

46:10sleep.

46:11We didn't

46:11sleep.

46:12She was

46:13see-through.

46:16I arrived

46:16with Caroline

46:17in the same

46:17vehicle and

46:18caught on that

46:19morning in

46:19question.

46:19We couldn't

46:20get out of

46:20the vehicle

46:20we were

46:21travelling in.

46:22I couldn't

46:22open the

46:22door to the

46:23car just to

46:23get out as

46:24a professional

46:24to represent

46:25somebody in

46:25court.

46:27What had

46:28this become?

46:29The press

46:30were horrific

46:32it was so

46:37intense and

46:38having that

46:39many people

46:40scream at

46:40you and

46:40flash cameras

46:41at you and

46:42they don't

46:42know this but

46:43six hours after

46:44you've nearly

46:45died.

46:48It was scary

46:49for me.

46:50It will have

46:51been horrific

46:52for her.

46:53She was

46:54squeezing my

46:54hands so

46:55tight and she

46:55was really

46:56shaking but

46:58the press was

46:58so horrific.

46:59They were

46:59saying disgusting

47:00things like

47:01did you nearly

47:02kill your

47:02boyfriend like

47:04very provocative

47:04things.

47:06Caroline kept

47:06saying please

47:08don't tell my

47:08mum about last

47:09night.

47:10I didn't know

47:10what happened

47:11the night before

47:12but when I saw

47:13her it just

47:14didn't even look

47:15like Carrie.

47:16She just

47:17looked lost.

47:19Her boyfriend

47:20arrived separately.

47:22He's previously

47:23said he wants

47:24the case against

47:25Caroline Flack to

47:26be dropped and

47:27doesn't support

47:27the prosecution.

47:29We went into

47:30the courthouse.

47:31She saw her

47:32mum.

47:32She broke

47:32down and

47:33then her

47:35biggest fear

47:35she said what

47:37am I going to

47:37do when I see

47:38Casey Weiss in

47:39that court.

47:40Who was she?

47:41Casey Weiss was

47:42the prosecutor.

47:43You know I'm

47:44sure the

47:44prosecutor will

47:45say she was

47:46just doing her

47:46job and we

47:48don't know what

47:49information she

47:49was being fed

47:50by the police.

47:52But with a

47:53court packed

47:53with press the

47:54nation's eyes

47:55were all on

47:55Caroline.

47:58She said that

48:00Caroline hit her

48:01boyfriend with

48:02a lamp and

48:03caused him a

48:04serious or

48:05significant injury

48:06but the one

48:07thing that got

48:08me was when

48:09she quoted one

48:10of the police

48:10officers who

48:11described the

48:12room as like

48:13a scene from

48:14a horror movie.

48:16But she didn't

48:17say that that

48:17was Caroline's

48:18blood not

48:18Lewis's blood

48:19and that is

48:20where I remember

48:21thinking oh my

48:23God this this

48:24is going to go

48:24wrong and

48:26Caroline turned

48:27around and

48:28looked at us

48:29her face was

48:30completely pale

48:31and white as a

48:32ghost.

48:32She was like

48:33she couldn't

48:35believe it.

48:36Like she knew

48:37in that moment

48:38what had been

48:38said and that

48:39it couldn't be

48:40unsaid.

48:41I've done

48:42courts in the

48:43past and edited

48:43newspapers with

48:44court reporting

48:45but the information

48:46coming out of

48:47that courtroom

48:47was way more

48:49detailed than we

48:50were used to

48:50as journalists.

48:51This was a

48:52magistrate's hearing

48:53not a trial.

48:54These things are

48:55invariably to be

48:58guilty or not

48:59guilty and then

49:00the judge writes

49:02down on a piece

49:02of paper a day

49:04for the next

49:05hearing.

49:05This is one place

49:06you do not mess

49:07around if you're

49:07a journalist.

49:08This is one place

49:08where you don't get

49:09to be boss.

49:10You can only report

49:11in what is said.

49:12Prosecutor Katie

49:13Weiss told the

49:14court he had been

49:15asleep and had been

49:16hit in the head

49:17with a lamp.

49:18Almost immediately

49:20what was said in

49:21court hit the news.

49:22They were both

49:23covered in blood.

49:24The prosecution

49:24said he'd received

49:25a significant injury

49:26to his head.

49:27It was like a

49:28horror movie.

49:31Social media

49:32pick up.

49:34It spreads like

49:34wildfire.

49:35She picks up a

49:36lamp and smashed

49:37him over the head

49:38while he was

49:38asleep and there

49:39was blood.

49:42The place was a

49:43bloodbath.

49:44And Karine is

49:46suddenly the baddie

49:47in a horror movie.

49:49She is not allowed

49:50to contact her

49:51boyfriend and when

49:51she was told that

49:53in the court she

49:54burst into tears.

49:57It was all an act.

49:58You can see she's

49:59trying to look small

50:00and weak.

50:01Just a clever move

50:01to get sympathy.

50:02step out of the way.

50:31All these journalists

50:38finally they had

50:39something they could

50:40actually pick on her

50:42about.

50:43Move back!

50:44Move back!

50:44This was a true crime

50:45in the moment and

50:46people feed off that

50:48like vampires.

50:51I think she felt

50:53very, very lost

50:54and out of control

50:55and I just could see

50:56that it was going to

50:57end badly.

50:58The more I've looked

51:10at this, Christine,

51:11the less I can

51:13understand.

51:14Caroline thought

51:14she had no control.

51:16Lies were being told

51:17about her all the time.

51:19At this point,

51:20Caroline was worth

51:21more to them in print

51:22to be the villain.

51:23There was no direct

51:24evidence that anyone

51:26had been hit with a lamp.

51:27It's really just about

51:28who's got the best

51:29front page that it's

51:30saved.

51:30I think this headline's

51:32disgusting.

51:33I'd like a front page

51:36apology.

51:37We were more scared

51:39of her going to hospital

51:41because of what the press

51:43would do than getting

51:44here life saved.

52:14going to have to go

52:14to area 5-4-7-6-7-7-7-7-6-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7.

52:20Transcription by CastingWords

52:50Transcription by CastingWords

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