The mother of TV star Caroline Flack has said she will continue to fight for answers about the police treatment of her daughter before her death.
Christine Flack, who lives in Norfolk, has said she no longer trusts the Metropolitan Police due to her belief Caroline received harsher treatment because of her fame.
The former Love Island and X Factor star took her life in February 2020, after it was decided the 40-year-old was to face a charge over an incident involving her boyfriend, Lewis Burton.
An inquest heard the presenter, who began her road to stardom as a young performer in Norfolk, was “seriously let down by the authorities” and “hounded” over her forthcoming trial in the weeks before she killed herself.
Speaking to the Times, Mrs Flack said she hoped an on-going investigation into police handling of her case would reveal why Caroline was charged with the assault - despite prosecutors initially saying she should be given just a caution.
“I don’t think she should have had special treatment for who she was, but she shouldn’t have had worse treatment,” she said.
“For something so minor [the argument with Burton] they should have sent her home and talked to her the next day, but they put her in a cell and charged her with assault.”
Mrs Flack first complained to the Met one month after Caroline's death.
In March 2021 the Met told Christine it was satisfied with its response and handling of the case, but in August she asked the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to review it.
The IOPC has directed the force to reinvestigate whether Caroline would have been treated differently had she not been famous.
It is also investigating two further areas of the case, both relating to the decision to appeal the CPS decision to caution Caroline with an update expected soon.
“All I want is for the Met to say ‘it wasn’t domestic abuse, we shouldn’t have pursued it’,” said her mother.
She has described the Met’s treatment of her daughter in the midst of a mental health crisis and the subsequent media frenzy as “horrendous”.
“There is nothing I can do for Carrie now, but I can still fight for her,” she added.
• The Samaritans helpline is available for free support 24-hours a day on 116 123. To find out more about local mental health support, call Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust’s helpline 0808 196 3494.
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