CAROLINE Flack's tearful mum today told a cop "you should be disgusted with yourself", as she smirked while being questioned about the star's tragic death.
The 40-year-old's mum, Chris, shook her head as DI Lauren Bateman said she wouldn't do anything differently, after pushing to charge the Love Island presenter.
Her mum said her daughter killed herself after cops pushed for a "show trial" and charged her with allegedly attacking boyfriend Lewis Burton.
In an emotional outburst at the inquest today, she told the officer: "I see domestic abuse and I just think you should be disgusted with yourself.
"There is nothing we can do to bring Caroline back. I hope in hindsight you do regret this.
"This girl killed herself because you put an appeal through."
She added: "I feel even more upset now than I did at the start. I'm not legal, but I have been reading up on this.
"I will never get Caroline back but she was not an abuser."
The heartbroken mum relived Caroline's troubled few days before her arrest and blasted cops, saying her daughter was in "no fit state" to have been quizzed and arrested.
When she finished, the coroner asked if the Met Detective would like to reply, with DI Bateman laughing and saying: "There was quite a lot said.
"Is there anything specific you'd like me to respond to? Was that a question, or…"
I feel even more upset now than I did at the start.
It comes after CPS prosecutor Alison Wright told the inquest today police pushed to charge Caroline over the allegations.
She said officers claimed she took "a biased view of the case because Caroline Flack is a celebrity", after she initially wanted to issue a caution and they refused.
Coroner Mary Hassell told DI Bateman, who applied for a formal charge: "(Her) family feel that she was being taught a lesson in a way that a non-celebrity would not have been – that this was motivated by treating a celebrity in a way that a non-celebrity would not have been treated."
DI Bateman insisted: "I would have done exactly the same if it had been anyone."
Caroline was pronounced dead on February 15, the day after she had learned the CPS was pursuing charges that she allegedly attacked her boyfriend Lewis Burton, 27.
The TV star was said to be tormented by the thought of facing court in what her family slammed as a “show trial”.
The inquest was told this morning she wrote a note before she died, which read: "Please let this court case be dropped and myself and Lewis find harmony."
Her twin sister Jody confirmed "that looks exactly like Caroline's handwriting".
'SHOW TRIAL'
Today, her family and legal representatives were part of a virtually held inquest into her death, with only a coroner and press physically present in court.
A police incident report was read out to the coroner – stating Lewis had told cops he was woken up after being hit on the head.
Caroline had told police she had hit him to try and wake him, after finding out he had been cheating on her.
She told officers: "I had his phone in one hand, and my phone in the other. I whacked him round the head – there's no excuse for it, I was upset."
Yesterday Caroline's tearful mum blasted the CPS for her daughter's "show trial" at the Love Island star's inquest.
Chris, who also watched proceedings at Poplar Coroner's Court yesterday via videolink, wiped away tears as her statement was read out.
It said: "I believe Caroline was seriously let down by the authorities and in particular the CPS for pursuing the case. I believe this was a show trial.
"Being well known should not allow special treatment, but should not allow making an example of someone."
YOU'RE NOT ALONE
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You're Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123
Her mum blasted the allegations on the first day of the inquest and told the court she had received a written apology from the chief crown prosecutor over the lamp accusation.
Her sister Jody said on Wednesday Caroline was "in a very anxious state of mind" before her death, adding in a statement an ambulance had been called for her four times previously.
In a statement read to the court Caroline's boyfriend, Lewis, told of her worries about the case and not being able to see him.
He said: "The last time [I] saw Caroline she was very upset, in fact devastated, she was not in a good place emotionally."
An ambulance had been called to Caroline's house the night before she died due to pals' concerns for her – but she told paramedics she didn't want to go to hospital.
'NOT IN A GOOD PLACE EMOTIONALLY'
The coroner's court heard no traces of alcohol were found in her system, but there was the presence of a drug used for insomnia.
A family lawyer previously said the television personality died by suicide.
Caroline stepped down from hosting ITV2's hit show Love Island after she was arrested. She was bailed after the first court hearing, but was banned from contacting Lewis before the trial.
Her suicide was the latest connected to Love Island, following the deaths of contestants Mike Thalassitis, 26, in March 2019 and Sophie Gradon, 32, in June 2018.
Miss Gradon's boyfriend Aaron Armstrong, 25, died three weeks after he found his girlfriend.
The Met Police has already referred itself to the police watchdog over its contact with Caroline before her death – which cops say is standard practice.
A CPS spokesman said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Caroline Flack.
“It is normal practice for prosecutors to hold a debriefing in complex or sensitive cases after they have ended.
“This has taken place and found that the case was handled appropriately and in line with our published legal guidance.”
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans on (free) 116123
Source: Read Full Article