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Caroline Flack won a British Academy Television Award for Love Island in 2018
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is to review its handling of the assault case against the late Love Island host Caroline Flack.
It follows a Freedom of Information request from the Daily Mirror and comes amid criticism that the CPS had pursued a “show trial” against the star.
The presenter, who took her own life in February, denied charges that she had assaulted her boyfriend.
The CPS said the outcome of any “post-case review” would not be made public.
Ms Flack pleaded not guilty to an assault charge at a court appearance on 23 December 2019, when it was heard her boyfriend Lewis Burton did not support the prosecution.
She was released on bail but was ordered to stop any contact with Burton ahead of the trial, which would have begun on Wednesday.
The TV presenter, 40, was found dead at her London flat last month – a day after she learned that the CPS were pursuing charges against her.
She had left her role presenting Love Island after being charged with assaulting Burton.
A spokesman for the CPS told the Daily Mirror: “The review will look at the general CPS handling of the case and, obviously, the decisions behind charging is part of that.”
He said the post-case debriefings “were not uncommon” but the CPS “do not comment on the outcome”.
In an unpublished Instagram post shared by her family, Ms Flack said her “whole world and future was swept from under my feet” following her arrest – which saw the presenter become the focus of media scrutiny.
Petition
At the time of her death, Ms Flack’s management company said the star had been “under huge pressure” since her arrest and criticised the CPS for refusing to drop charges, even though Burton said he did not want the case to go ahead.
In a statement released the day after her death, the CPS said: “We do not decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence – that is for the jury, judge or magistrate – but we must make the key decision of whether a case should be put before a court.”
Earlier this week, a petition signed by more than 850,000 people was handed in to the government, calling for curbs on the British media in the wake of Ms Flack’s death. It calls for the establishment of a new law, dubbed Caroline’s Law, which would make media bullying and harassment a criminal offence.
“Politicians need to urgently step in and make sure there are consequences when the media bully and harass,” said Holly Maltby, of campaigning group 38 Degrees.
The Metropolitan Police referred itself to the police watchdog following the death of the former X Factor presenter and Strictly Come Dancing winner on 15 February. The Met said it was standard practice when a person who had recent contact with police died and “no officer is on restricted duties or suspended”.