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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 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 in 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.
01:43The media coverage was shocking.
01:44Bashed 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.
02:04I 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.
02:46She 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.
02:58I'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?
03:06We find out whether it's going to court or not.
03:08I'm scared.
03:12I've not talked about this before.
03:14Tabloids 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.
03:24I would do anything to clear Caroline's name.
03:28I want the truth to come out.
03:38Hello, I'm Caroline Flack.
03:51That was funny.
03:54But it was not going to work.
03:56The real Caroline, before all this happened, was just fun.
04:01How do you invite Snail to a party?
04:03I don't know.
04:07Do you want to come to a party?
04:10When she visited, the atmosphere changed.
04:13Yeah, she had her down times.
04:15But mostly it was good times.
04:19But that's hard to think of that now without feeling really sad.
04:27And what would she be doing now?
04:28Caroline died with the world believing the headlines in the papers, that she'd hit her boyfriend with a lamp.
04:50They 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.
05:03I'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.
05:16I'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.
05:31I would do anything that will help.
05:33I would do anything that would give me answers as to why they did what they did to Carrie.
05:38I want the truth to come out about what happened the night of the incident, what happened at the police station, and what the press have done, and how it all ended with her committing suicide.
05:54Caroline Flack.
05:57Welcome to the hot desk, I can't even begin.
06:00I'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.
06:05Chocolate or cocktails?
06:07Chocolate.
06:07TV or radio?
06:08TV.
06:09Phone or make-up?
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, that 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.
06:37Caroline wasn't allowed to speak out after her arrest.
06:44She kept being advised not to say anything, be quiet, and she so wanted to have a voice.
06:51So as much as I've dreaded going into Carrie's phones, I think there's some merit in looking at them now, and just getting her own words out there, to tell people what she was going through at the time.
07:07It's strange because some are so normal, when she feels good on a day, and then something can happen, and it just goes into, she just goes down, just, I can't understand what's happening to her.
07:27I'm just driving back to my mum's.
07:34I'm sorry about yesterday.
07:36I'm going through the shit in time.
07:40I'm just really going all over the place.
07:43I had to know what to think of any place.
07:45She was a one-off out of the four children, really.
08:02She was always a character.
08:03What are you doing, Carrie?
08:05I'm smoking.
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, they'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, they'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.
08:39When she died, you realise how quickly your family can change.
08:55I've amazingly not still been able to watch anything that she's done at all.
09:00As soon as I watch her,
09:04the reality hits.
09:07Let's do this.
09:12Let's go to the bench, tidy it.
09:14Here it is.
09:18I 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.
09:28I just put, um...
09:29Another lonely year has passed.
09:31I missed you just as much today as the day you left.
09:36I'm doing my very best to tell the world
09:39what some awful people drove you to.
09:43Do you think there'll ever be a moment, Mum, when you feel content that you can stop fighting?
09:58I hope I can stop.
10:01I hope there'll be an end to it.
10:03You can't fight for the rest of your life, but you can fight until the truth is out there.
10:10My main anxiety is you're dealing with organisations that are so corrupt,
10:16and they've got so much money, and they've got legal experts.
10:20Can you really get ever to the truth in these organisations?
10:24What'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?
10:35So, it's not their problem anymore.
10:39I just hope I can achieve something,
10:42and as long as you lot all, you know, don't mind me doing it,
10:46I'll go ahead.
10:54I 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.
11:23Slate 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,
11:53we'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 because she wanted love to work out for her.
12:35And the show just took off.
12:37The most watched program on any channel by viewers under 30.
12:40A cultural phenomenon that's changed the TV landscape.
12:43Wow, a BAFTA.
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.
12:57He'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?
13:01Are you one of the nasty ones?
13:03That's pretty nice, I think, hopefully.
13:05And she goes, right, well, then you're okay 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.
13:23A story like that is the ultimate prize for any journalist.
13:28Which girl did you find she 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.
14:01Oh, my God, that's never going to happen.
14:03So you'd ask her, 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,
14:33they totally know.
14:34If you're out there,
14:35and I'm sending you friendly messages,
14:37they mean more.
14:38I remember when Caroline told me she'd met this guy,
14:42she really, really, really, like, 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.
15:06But 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 buzzing 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,
15:34it 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,
15:47I do remember thinking,
15:49this is a bit of a risk by Caroline
15:51because this is a guy
15:53who doesn't have any media training,
15:55any experience of fame.
15:57And the problem is Caroline is so big now,
15:59you can't learn it as you go.
16:00You can't make any mistakes with the media.
16:02And he had no experience in that field at all.
16:06They had a really nice time together
16:08until they didn't.
16:09On the night of the incident,
16:19Carrie and Lewis had both been out separately.
16:23They got back,
16:24and Carrie said, funny enough,
16:25and her cabs drew up at the same time,
16:27and they came in.
16:34And they'd both had a bit to drink,
16:35so she said we were laughing and joking.
16:39And they went up to bed,
16:42and she said,
16:43Lewis 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.
17:03And she kept it in her hand,
17:06and with that,
17:07she's trying to wake Lewis up.
17:09She said,
17:10I got my phone like this,
17:11and I just went,
17:12Lewis.
17:13Wake up, wake up.
17:14It's a firm gesture,
17:15but the phone's in the hand,
17:17and her hands and the phone together
17:18are here in her head.
17:19She hit him with her phone,
17:21then he kind of stood up.
17:22His head was bleeding.
17:23She was shouting.
17:24He was screaming.
17:25He was frustrated
17:26that she'd accessed his telephone.
17:29She was upset
17:29at what she'd seen on the phone.
17:31He said,
17:31Oh, if you keep on,
17:33and look,
17:33my head's bleeding now,
17:35I'll phone the police.
17:36And she was screaming,
17:37Please don't call the police.
17:38If you call the police,
17:39I'm done.
17:40And he said,
17:40No, he said,
17:41You're fucked.
17:43I didn't know
17:44if 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,
18:06I am done.
18:07My career's over.
18:08My boyfriend's gone.
18:09I might as well be dead.
18:10She said to me,
18:11I found some broken glass,
18:13and I sliced as deep as I could
18:15into my wrists,
18:17and I wanted to die.
18:18I just wanted it to be over.
18:19The police arrived,
18:23and 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,
18:32having 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
18:43what was going on.
18:44Caroline was upset and remorseful.
19:00They 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,
19:05but they said Caroline would need to go to hospital.
19:09Caroline 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.
19:33They 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 had got a tip-off from a neighbour
19:50who had contacted the press.
19:52The press were at Caroline's flat
19:54almost immediately after she was arrested.
19:57And that set, in turn,
20:00absolute deluge of phone calls to the local police
20:03from press.
20:05You've got Caroline Fleck.
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,
20:17I felt sick.
20:20I was messaging her incessantly,
20:21and it was...
20:22They weren't delivering.
20:23It was like a drum was beating
20:25really heavily inside me,
20:27but they seized her phone.
20:30I 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
20:53whether somebody
20:55should be charged
20:57with an offence.
20:59As part of my investigation,
21:02I've managed to get my hands
21:03on the original decision
21:05from the Crown Prosecution Service.
21:08And it says,
21:09I do not believe
21:10that the case
21:11is in the public interest
21:12to prosecute,
21:14as 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 to the injured person
21:27did not require medical intervention.
21:30Therefore,
21:31they just wanted to carry a caution.
21:34A caution is effectively
21:35a first warning.
21:36It doesn't require a prosecution
21:38of 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
21:46to a conclusion there and then
21:48and enabled Lewis and Caroline
21:49to move on with their lives.
21:54But 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
22:34in domestic violence cases,
22:35but all that kept going through my mind
22:37was the speed at which
22:38this was all happening.
22:40Why 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
22:56ordinarily happen,
22:57but it didn't.
22:58And it rapidly became apparent to me
23:00that Caroline Flack
23:02was being prosecuted
23:04not for what happened
23:05or what she'd done or not done.
23:07She'd been prosecuted
23:08because she was Caroline Flack.
23:11I saw Caroline the day
23:12after her arrest
23:14and she was staying
23:15at her sister's house
23:16in London hiding away.
23:18She was absolutely shattered
23:19and actually we sat
23:21on the sofa
23:21and I remember us both
23:24being in complete shock
23:28that this was happening.
23:29Oh my gosh,
23:37what is going on, girl?
23:45You wouldn't think
23:46that she is the type
23:48to assault a man.
23:49Maybe 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
24:01who would have known her
24:01saying,
24:02come on,
24:02we're going to get everything
24:03on 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
24:10that you would think
24:11is going to be
24:11big 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 their TV career over?
24:30In the job I do,
24:32there's no rule book
24:32and there's definitely
24:34no guidance on what to do
24:36if your client ends up arrested
24:40and being held
24:42in a cell overnight.
24:45But we were suddenly
24:45answerable to her
24:47employers.
24:50Imagine everybody
24:50gets very jittery
24:51when there's a negative story.
24:53Obviously she's been charged
24:54with a very serious
24:55offence.
24:56I think ITV
24:57were in a really,
24:58really difficult position
24:59because she was due
25:00to go to South Africa.
25:01It was the first
25:02winter Love Island.
25:03Sorry, Wendell.
25:04You're just not our type.
25:06And I think they made
25:08the decision
25:09that they had to make.
25:12The television presenter
25:13Caroline Flack
25:14has said she will
25:15stand down
25:16as the host
25:17of the upcoming
25:17series of Love Island.
25:23You can't have
25:25the presenter
25:25of a romance
25:26relationship show
25:27who's been accused
25:28of 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
25:37starts really,
25:38really soon.
25:39Caroline did not
25:40take the news world
25:41at all.
25:42You 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
26:08is if I could speak
26:10to Smart Rowley, please.
26:12The chief of the Met Police.
26:13I'm afraid you can't
26:15ask to speak
26:16to the commissioner.
26:18Can I ask
26:19who you are?
26:20Yeah, yeah.
26:21My name's Chris Flack.
26:22My daughter
26:23was Caroline Flack.
26:25After Carrie's death,
26:26I started to look
26:27into it more.
26:28Christine Flack
26:29has said she believes
26:30her daughter was treated
26:30differently by the police
26:32because she was famous.
26:34Tonight,
26:35she accused the CPS
26:36and Metropolitan Police
26:37of a cover-up.
26:38The police did
26:39an investigation
26:40and then came back
26:41to me and said
26:42they found nothing wrong.
26:46I've been trying
26:47to get an interview
26:48with him for years.
26:50Just five minutes,
26:51face to face.
26:53I then wrote
26:53to the Independent Office
26:55for Police Conduct
26:57and they did come back
26:58and say
26:59that the police
27:01hadn't investigated properly.
27:03It turns out
27:05the police officer
27:06that wanted
27:07to charge Caroline
27:08had applied
27:09the wrong criteria
27:10when deciding
27:11whether she should
27:12be charged
27:12and she didn't
27:13keep proper notes
27:14as to why
27:15she decided
27:16to challenge the CPS.
27:18He's refusing
27:19to talk to me
27:20in any way.
27:21My MP has asked,
27:23the mayor's office
27:24have asked,
27:25but I'm getting nowhere
27:26and, yeah,
27:29with the things
27:30I've found out
27:32and all the wrongdoings,
27:33I'm really not happy
27:34that they've just
27:35dismissed it all now.
27:37The Met did apologise
27:39but only for not
27:41taking proper notes.
27:42They will not admit
27:44that they were wrong
27:44to 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
27:52and I think
27:54to take a few minutes
27:55to talk to me
27:56is nothing.
27:57OK, well,
27:58what I'll do
27:58is I'll pass your message
27:59on and I'll go
28:00flag it to you.
28:00Do you know?
28:00For the last
28:03almost five years,
28:04I've had the same answer
28:06as that lady
28:06just gave me.
28:08I just want them
28:09to admit
28:10that pushing the CPS
28:12to charge Caroline
28:13was wrong
28:14and if the police
28:15won't speak to me,
28:17I'm going to find
28:17somebody that will.
28:19I've looked online
28:21to see who I could
28:22contact
28:23that may be able
28:24to talk about
28:26the Met Police
28:26and I came across
28:28this lady,
28:29Jess MacDonald
28:30and she'd been
28:31in the Met Police.
28:33It says here,
28:34during her time
28:35with the force,
28:36she was posted
28:37to the Community
28:38Safeguarding Unit
28:39which deals with,
28:40among other crimes,
28:41cases of domestic violence.
28:43I can sort of hear her
28:56saying these things
28:57because they're the things
28:58she was thinking
28:59and saying.
29:00The reason she was worried
29:02and thought,
29:03you know,
29:03she may go to prison
29:04was because the detective
29:06that was working
29:07the night
29:07had got the CPS
29:09to change their ruling
29:10and to charge her.
29:12What I'd like to understand
29:14is,
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
29:31there's just so much
29:34that shouts out to me
29:35as abnormal
29:36treatment
29:37and mishandling.
29:39This is an email
29:41sent by the detective inspector
29:43to challenge
29:44the decision
29:45to caution Caroline.
29:47She writes
29:47that the crux
29:48of the CPS's argument
29:49is that
29:50there are sufficient grounds
29:51to issue a caution
29:52as there is
29:53a clear admission of guilt.
29:55Mm-hmm.
29:56But she says,
29:57we argue there is not.
29:59However,
30:00from reviewing
30:01all the evidence,
30:02Caroline admits guilt
30:04consistently.
30:06She never denies
30:07that she hit Lewis
30:08with the phone.
30:09Yeah, I've got it here.
30:10She admitted guilt
30:1112 times.
30:13So I don't understand
30:15how this is the opening line.
30:17But also,
30:18she writes of Caroline.
30:20She has caused
30:21a significant injury.
30:22As such,
30:23this is most certainly
30:24not a minor offence.
30:26Well, that's
30:27absolute nonsense.
30:28Lewis didn't even
30:29receive treatment.
30:30No, no stitches,
30:31no glue, nothing.
30:32She appears to be
30:34misleading
30:35in the way
30:36that she's reporting.
30:38I mean,
30:38I just can't believe
30:39in this email
30:40there's, like,
30:40literally no mention
30:41anything about Caroline,
30:42that she had
30:43serious injuries
30:44and she was
30:46very unwell
30:47on that evening.
30:48And you can't
30:49just strip factors
30:50that don't suit
30:51your narrative out.
30:52And that kind of
30:53brings us to
30:55a briefing note
30:57that was, like,
30:58an internal document
30:59that would be circulated
31:00on the night
31:01of the incident.
31:03There's multiple mentions.
31:04So here, for instance,
31:06likely to be
31:07significant media interest
31:08as suspect
31:09is television presenter
31:10Caroline Flack.
31:12The incident is notable
31:13as Miss Flack
31:14is a recognisable
31:15media personality.
31:17So I think the reason
31:18that this is
31:18plastered all over
31:19the briefing note
31:20about the media
31:21being interested
31:22is because with that
31:23comes public scrutiny.
31:25The Met were
31:25under a lot of pressure
31:26because domestic violence
31:28wasn't being dealt
31:29with correctly.
31:30So I believe they saw
31:31this as an opportunity
31:32to be like,
31:33right, we will show,
31:35we will get a charge.
31:36We do take
31:37domestic violence seriously.
31:39And what I've found out,
31:40Jess,
31:42since,
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
31:53with a shooting,
31:53a high-risk missing person,
31:57and yet she still
31:58had time
31:59to get involved
32:01in Caroline's case.
32:03Common assault,
32:04which is the lowest
32:05level of 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
32:15for the first time
32:16for this common assault
32:17is the most damning
32:19piece of evidence
32:20that Caroline's case
32:21was treated differently
32:22and very abnormally.
32:31Speaking to someone
32:32like 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.
32:45I'm not here
32:46to defend
32:47domestic violence.
32:49I've had
32:49family members
32:51that have suffered
32:51domestic violence
32:52and it's the most
32:53awful thing.
32:56And what's even more
32:57hurtful,
32:57when they've tried
32:58to get help,
32:59there's been no help
33:00out there.
33:01The police don't want
33:02to know.
33:03Caroline was not
33:04a domestic abuser.
33:07This was a one-off
33:08incident
33:08and Caroline's injuries,
33:10which she had done
33:10to herself,
33:12were much more serious.
33:23I'm doing this
33:23because I want
33:24to remember
33:24what I went through,
33:28what my family
33:30went through,
33:32what my boyfriend
33:33went through,
33:34what his family
33:34went through.
33:36It's three days
33:37after I've been
33:37arrested.
33:39I'm in a fight
33:39with my boyfriend.
33:42I've always
33:43cooperated with
33:43the 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
33:53go any further
33:54because it was
33:55a really private
33:56situation.
33:58Five minutes
33:59after I left
33:59the station,
34:02they go into the press,
34:05all the details,
34:05everything.
34:06I lost my job,
34:11the job I've worked
34:14all my life on.
34:15I'm living in a hotel.
34:20I'm receiving so much abuse.
34:25After 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,
34:32her house.
34:33It wasn't safe for her.
34:35So she went and stayed
34:36at this hotel,
34:38the Ned,
34:39because it was private there.
34:41She 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.
35:04I was speaking to her
35:06many times a day.
35:07I wanted her to leave
35:08London and come with me.
35:10You know,
35:10just come and stay with me,
35:11forget everything.
35:12But she wasn't listening
35:14to 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,
35:25oh, 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.
35:50The 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
36:01of her saying
36:02this is what
36:03a domestic abuser
36:03looks like.
36:05Suddenly,
36:06the vultures
36:07were sort of
36:07picking at the food
36:08around her.
36:13Suddenly,
36:14Caroline's ex-fiance
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
36:25through 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
36:33developing
36:33more victims.
36:42Andrew Brady
36:43was on
36:44The Apprentice
36:46and then he went
36:46on to Celebrity
36:47Big Brother
36:47and he was
36:49a fun
36:49young guy.
36:51She did like him.
36:53They even
36:54got engaged.
36:55First thing,
36:56congratulations,
36:57miss!
36:57Can you show you
36:58a sparkly ring
36:58into my camera,
36:59please?
36:59But 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 of the time.
37:20I've been there
37:22for some
37:23really horrendous
37:24horrific arguments
37:25but it was
37:26never a scary
37:27encounter.
37:29She's not scary
37:30to 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
37:37hurt someone.
37:40And that's why
37:41from the first day
37:42that after the
37:43arrest happened,
37:44Lewis 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.
37:59And 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
38:10the prosecution
38:11in scant
38:12cursory
38:13short responses
38:14brushed it back
38:16and said
38:16we reviewed it
38:18and we're proceeding.
38:24The 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
38:33she is a danger
38:36to Lewis
38:36so when she's
38:38posted
38:38I love you Lewis
38:39she then straight
38:40away got a call
38:41informing her
38:43that message
38:43meant she'd
38:44broken her bail
38:44conditions
38:45and we thought
38:47she could get
38:47arrested.
38:48That was really
38:49scary.
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
39:05St Caroline
39:05into an enormous
39:07spiral downwards.
39:14Caroline struggles
39:15to be alone
39:16so with 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.
39:22Are you two
39:27good mates?
39:29Yeah we're
39:29best friends.
39:30Hey what's the
39:31worst thing she
39:31does?
39:32Go on.
39:33The worst thing?
39:34Yeah what's the
39:34worst thing?
39:35She doesn't
39:35answer her phone.
39:36She's busy.
39:37She worries a lot.
39:38If I don't answer
39:39my phone she gets
39:40in the car and
39:40drives to London.
39:42Yeah that's great.
39:42Knocks on my
39:43door.
39:43Why don't you
39:43answer your phone?
39:45When I talk
39:46about Caroline
39:46and her
39:48mental health
39:49people say
39:49well 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
40:02highs and
40:02lows.
40:05She could
40:06be like
40:06so 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
40:16It's when
40:18things all
40:18culminated
40:19it's like
40:20a break-up
40:21not getting
40:22a job
40:22different things
40:23could come
40:24to it.
40:25She had
40:25cut her
40:25arms before
40:27she went
40:28through a bit
40:28of a spate
40:29of cutting
40:30her arms.
40:31You don't
40:31know why
40:32I don't think
40:34she wanted
40:34attention
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
40:42you think
40:43she thought
40:43of herself?
40:43I don't
40:47think she
40:47liked herself
40:48I think
40:50she knew
40:50her thoughts
40:51I think
40:51she knew
40:51when she
40:53got down
40:53it was
40:54hard for
40:55people around
40:55her.
40:57As a young
40:58girl she
40:58did take
40:59pills and
41:00ended up
41:00in hospital
41:01it was very
41:03very serious.
41:05One doctor
41:06said she
41:06had bipolar
41:07at 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 to
41:15labour.
41:16She hated
41:17having this
41:18mental health
41:19problem and
41:20it was always
41:22hushed up
41:22it was you
41:24know if
41:24anyone mentioned
41:24it it was
41:26the worst
41:26thing you
41:27could do.
41:28Hello
41:28everybody.
41:29Tripped 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.
41:40And at
41:41those times
41:41if she had
41:42like 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
41:57it takes
41:58away any
41:59of my
41:59thoughts.
42:00It does
42:00it distracts
42:00you.
42:02But this
42:03time her
42:04job had
42:04gone.
42:05And I
42:05think
42:05that's
42:05why
42:06we
42:06were
42:06more
42:06frightened
42:07of what
42:07was
42:07going
42:08on
42:08because
42:09we
42:09knew
42:10what
42:10she
42:10was
42:11like.
42:17It was
42:18evident
42:18that there
42:19should have
42:20been a
42:20greater
42:21mental
42:21health
42:21assessment
42:22and
42:22impact
42:23that
42:23a
42:24prosecution
42:25would have
42:25on her
42:25mental
42:26health.
42:26For that
42:27reason
42:27a psychiatrist
42:27was
42:28instructed
42:30in order
42:30to prepare
42:30a report
42:31and the
42:33decision
42:33was made
42:34to disclose
42:34that to
42:35the prosecution.
42:38So we sent
42:39psychiatric
42:40report to
42:41the CPS
42:41so she is
42:42not fit
42:43and well
42:43mentally
42:43to go
42:44through this.
42:44We had
42:45professional
42:46analysis
42:47and that
42:51was ignored.
42:53We were
42:54so taken
42:54aback
42:55actually
42:55that they
42:56dismissed
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
43:06but what
43:08she was
43:08going through
43:09it was just
43:10so over
43:11the top
43:12for what
43:13actually happened
43:14that night.
43:14the punishment
43:15was so
43:16disproportionate
43:17given the
43:18risks to
43:18her health.
43:20You're
43:20screaming into
43:21a 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?
43:28I've never
43:53spoken about
43:53this night
43:54so it was
43:57the night
43:57before she
43:58was due
43:58in court
43:59for
44:00was it
44:01the
44:01magistrate's
44:03hearing?
44:03The magistrate's
44:04hearing?
44:05Yeah.
44:05Oh okay.
44:09So what
44:09do you want to
44:09tell you what
44:10happened?
44:11Only if you're
44:11comfortable to.
44:12I don't want to
44:12leave you down
44:13anywhere.
44:13No no
44:14it's just
44:14I've never
44:15really spoken
44:15about it.
44:19So it was a
44:19couple of nights
44:20before Christmas
44:20actually.
44:22Caroline was
44:23staying in a
44:23hotel.
44:24She called
44:25a couple of
44:27people slurring
44:28and I knew
44:29then something
44:30was going on
44:31so a couple
44:32of us went
44:33over and she
44:34was just
44:35completely out
44:36of it on the
44:37bed.
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
44:56her.
44:56We were just
44:57freaking out
44:58because the
44:58next day was
44:59the hearing
45:00but also I
45:02was thinking
45:02she's going
45:03to die.
45:04So I
45:06headed over
45:06to the
45:07hotel.
45:09We called
45:09the doctor.
45:10The doctor
45:11came and he
45:12said can you
45:12put your fingers
45:13down her throat
45:14and see if she
45:14can vomit
45:15any medication
45:16so I did
45:17and a few
45:18tablets came
45:19out.
45:20By this point
45:21we're 1 o'clock
45:222 o'clock
45:22in the morning
45:23and she
45:24had to be
45:25at her
45:26magistrate's
45:27hearing the
45:27next day
45:28quite early
45:28as well.
45:30I just
45:30remember the
45:30care saying
45:31what is she
45:31going to wear
45:32because nothing
45:33was clean.
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 am I
45:43doing the
45:44right thing
45:44here but I
45:44let 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
45:50was the
45:51short-term
45:52pain of
45:52going is
45:53going to
45:53be better
45:54for her
45:54in 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
46:01had her
46:01ready for
46:01the next
46:02morning.
46:03It just
46:04shouldn't have
46:05happened.
46:06She shouldn't
46:06have gone.
46:06You know
46:07that day
46:07you can see
46:08her she
46:08probably had
46:10an hour
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 at
46:18court on
46:18that morning
46:19in question.
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
46:23to get out
46:24as a
46:24professional
46:24to represent
46:25somebody
46:25in court.
46:27What had
46:28this become?
46:29The press
46:30were horrific.
46:36It was so
46:37intense and
46:38having that
46:39many people
46:39scream at you
46:40and flash cameras
46:41at you and
46:42they don't know
46:42this but six
46:43hours after
46:44you've nearly
46:45died.
46:46Get back!
46:47It was
46:49scary for
46:49me.
46:50It would
46:51have been
46:51horrific for
46:52her.
46:53She was
46:54squeezing my
46:54hands so
46:55tight and
46:55she was
46:56really shaking
46:57but the
46:58press was
46:58so horrific.
46:59They were
46:59saying
47:00disgusting
47:00things like
47:01did you
47:02nearly kill
47:02your boyfriend?
47:03Like very
47:04provocative
47:04things.
47:06Caroline kept
47:06saying please
47:08don't tell my
47:08mum about
47:09last night.
47:10I didn't
47:10know what
47:11had happened
47:11the night
47:11before but
47:12when I saw
47:13her it just
47:14didn't even
47:15look like
47:15Carrie.
47:15She just
47:17looked lost.
47:19Her
47:20boyfriend
47:20arrived
47:21separately.
47:22He's
47:22previously
47:23said he
47:23wants the
47:24case against
47:25Caroline Flack
47:26to be
47:26dropped and
47:27doesn't support
47:27the prosecution.
47:29We went
47:29into the
47:30courthouse.
47:31She saw
47:32her mum.
47:32She broke
47:32down and
47:33then her
47:35biggest fear
47:35she said
47:36what am I
47:37going to do
47:37when I see
47:38Casey Weiss
47:38in that
47:39court?
47:40Who was
47:40she?
47:41Casey Weiss
47:42was the
47:42prosecutor.
47:43You know
47:44I'm sure
47:44the prosecutor
47:45will say
47:45she was
47:46just doing
47:46her job
47:47and we
47:48don't know
47:49what
47:49information
47:49she was
47:50being fed
47:50by the
47:50police
47:51but with
47:52a court
47:53packed
47:53with press
47:54the nation's
47:54eyes were
47:55all on
47:55Caroline.
47:58She said
47:59that Caroline
48:00hit her
48:01boyfriend
48:01with a
48:02lamp and
48:03caused him
48:04a serious
48:05or significant
48:05injury but
48:07the one
48:07thing that
48:07got me
48:08was when
48:09she quoted
48:09one of the
48:10police officers
48:11who described
48:12the room
48:13as like a
48:14scene from
48:14a horror
48:14movie but
48:16she didn't
48:17say that
48:17that was
48:17Caroline's
48:18blood not
48:18Lewis's
48:19blood and
48:20that is
48:20where I
48:21remember
48:21thinking oh
48:22my god this
48:23this is gonna
48:24go wrong 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 she was
48:33like she
48:34couldn't believe
48:35it like she
48:36knew in that
48:37moment what
48:38had been said
48:39and that it
48:39couldn't be
48:40unsaid
48:40I've done
48:42courts in
48:43the past and
48:43edited newspapers
48:44with court
48:45reporting but
48:45the information
48:46coming out of
48:47that courtroom
48:47was way more
48:49detailed than
48:49we were used
48:50to as
48:50journalists
48:51this was a
48:52magistrate's
48:52hearing not
48:53a trial
48:54these things
48:55are invariably
48:56to be guilty
48:58or not guilty
48:59and then the
49:00judge writes
49:02down on a
49:02piece of
49:02paper a day
49:04for the next
49:05hearing this is
49:06one place you
49:06do not mess
49:07around if you're
49:07a journalist this
49:08is one place
49:08where you don't
49:09get to be boss
49:10you can only
49:10report in what
49:11is said
49:12prosecutor Katie
49:13Weiss told the
49:14court he had
49:15been asleep and
49:16had been hit in
49:17the head with a
49:18lamp almost
49:19immediately what
49:20was said in
49:20court hit the
49:21news they were
49:22both covered in
49:23blood the
49:24prosecution said
49:24he'd received a
49:25significant injury
49:26to his head it
49:27was like a
49:28horror movie
49:29social media
49:32pick up it
49:34spreads like
49:34wildfire she
49:35picked up a
49:36lamp and smashed
49:37him over the
49:37head while he
49:38was asleep and
49:39there was blood
49:40the place was
49:43a bloodbath
49:44and Karine is
49:46suddenly the
49:47baddie in a
49:48horror movie
49:48she is not
49:49allowed to
49:50contact her
49:51boyfriend and
49:51when she was
49:52told that in
49:53the court she
49:54burst into
49:55tears
49:56it was all
49:57an act you
49:58can see she's
49:59trying to look
49:59small and weak
50:00just a clever
50:01move to get
50:02sympathy
50:02step out of the
50:16way please
50:18all these journalists
50:38finally they had
50:39something they could
50:40actually pick on her
50:42back this was a true
50:45crime in the moment
50:46and people feed off
50:48that like vampires
50:49i think she felt
50:53very very lost
50:54and out of control
50:55and i just could see
50:56that it was gonna
50:57end badly
50:58the more i've looked at
51:10this christine the less
51:12i can understand
51:13caroline thought she
51:14had no control
51:15lies 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
51:26lamb
51:27it's really just about
51:28who's got the best
51:29front page the next
51:30day
51:30i think this
51:32headline's disgusting
51:33i'd like a front
51:35page apology
51:37we were more scared
51:39of her going to
51:40hospital because of
51:42what the press would
51:43do with and getting
51:44her life saved
52:13in the next
52:15time
52:16and get
52:17in the next
52:17time
52:18so
52:18that's
52:19the
52:20the
52:21the
52:21the
52:22the
52:22the
52:23the
52:23the
52:23the
52:23Transcription by CastingWords
52:53CastingWords
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