"I want the real Caroline to be remembered – not the Caroline that was portrayed in the press in the weeks before her death," Christine Flack writes in Radio Times.
Weeks before her death, Caroline was due to face trial on assault charges, to which she pleaded not guilty. The alleged victim, her boyfriend Lewis Burton, did not support prosecution.The subsequent coverage of the presenter's departure from her role as host of Love Island and her legal issues have been widely criticised following her death, both of which are further examined in the documentary.As the documentary follows Christine's investigations for answers, here are six key learnings from Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth.
1. The police had originally decided to caution Caroline Flack
As relayed in the documentary, the pair had allegedly got into a drunken argument after Caroline found messages from a third party on Burton's phone, which she confronted him about.
"I did it, I whacked him round the head like that," the TV presenter told police.
The report continued: "There is no domestic violence history between the parties. The suspect is 40 years old and has no previous convictions. The cut the injured person did not require medical intervention."
It was shown that the CPS had initially wanted to give Caroline a caution, but that was until a detective allegedly challenged the decision, saying she believed Caroline should be charged.
McDonald explained: "She writes that the crux of the CPS's argument is that there are sufficient grounds to issue a caution, as there is a clear admission of guilt. But she says, 'We argue there is not', however, from reviewing all the evidence, Caroline admits guilt consistently.
"But also, she writes of Caroline, 'She has caused a significant injury as such, this is most certainly not a minor offence'. Well, that's absolute nonsense. Louis didn't even receive treatment."
"All decisions in this case were made on the basis of the medical opinion available to us at the time. A person's celebrity status never influences whether a case is taken forward. We are satisfied that the prosecution was correctly brought."
A psychiatrist had said Caroline's mental health state was "very poor" and a decision was made to "disclose that to the prosecution".
"We were so taken aback, actually, that they dismissed the report from the psychiatrist," Booth said.
3. Misrepresentations over what hit Lewis Burton's head
During the magistrates hearing, prosecutor Katie Weiss said: "He [Burton] said he had been asleep and was hit over the head by Caroline with a lamp, causing a visible cut to his head.
The documentary features a discussion between Christine and Caroline's older sister, who looked at the report written on the night by the police.
"There was no compelling direct evidence that anyone had been hit with a lamp during Caroline's interview and caution, and Caroline's position always was that she had the phone in her hand," Caroline's lawyer explained. "She went to rouse him awake and the phone connected with him. It couldn't have been more clear to anyone that read that transcript."
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Service said: "Caroline's Flack tragic death had a profound impact on many, not least her family and friends who continue to come to terms with their loss.
"It is understandable that those closest to Caroline have questions about everything that happened to her in the months before she died, including the police investigation.
During the period between her arrest and trial, Caroline was forced to live in hotels, unable to return to her home due to intrusion from press and paparazzi.
Caroline's friend Mollie said: "Everything was so, like, cloak and dagger, because the fear of being caught or people knowing where she was so scary that all of this had to happen in the middle of the night."
All of her belongings were moved into a gated apartment "that actually nobody ever found out where she was".
5. The former chief prosecutor who defended the CPS's decision to prosecute Caroline admitted she should have been given a caution
Former chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal, who had once been in support of the CPS's charges against Caroline Flack, told Christine that the case against Caroline doesn't make sense.
"You have to accept the police to tell you the truth, otherwise, the whole system collapses doesn't it? That said, having looked at all your evidence, I can't understand why they rushed judgment. This was a case where there's no previous history, where there is no controlling or coercive, powerful dynamic.
He went on to say that, knowing what he knows now, "none of it makes sense".
"In fact, they're required to stop the case where there is insufficient evidence, where it's not in the public interest to proceed, and I can't think of any reason to proceed, other than being scared of what the media will say about them. But you know, it's not about you losing face. This is about justice.
Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth is available to watch now on Disney+. You can sign up to Disney+ from £5.99 a month now.
Check out more of our Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
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