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- [00:03]
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Hi Crime House community. It's Katie looking for another Crime House original podcast to add to your rotation. You will love Clues with Morgan Abshur and Kaylin Moore. Every Wednesday, Morgan and Kaylin dig into the world's most notorious crimes, clue by clue, from serial killers to shocking murders. They follow the trail of clues, break down the evidence and debate the theories. It's like hanging out with your smart and true crime obsessed friends. Listen to clues on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to podcasts.
- [00:45]
This is Crime House. If you're a Love Island UK fan, you may be familiar with tonight's case. It's the case of Caroline Flack, the woman who was once British reality TV sweetheart and host of Love island uk. But behind her bubbly Persona was a woman struggling with mental health who got caught in a media storm so loud, so public and so merciless that she couldn't find her way out.
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Caroline Flack was surrounded by photographers as she arrived at court. Accused of assaulting her boyfriend, 40 year old T TV presenter of Love Island, Caroline Flack has died. Her family have announced the news a short while ago.
- [01:28]
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The tabloids, the police and the Crown Prosecution Service, in Christine's eyes, very much failed. Caroline.
- [01:39]
Hi, welcome to Crime House Daily. I'm your host Katie Ring. Here we follow the cases making headlines now, where justice is still unfolding. Follow us wherever you're listening and if you want ad free episodes, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. This episode discusses active criminal cases and breaking news. The information we share is based on what's publicly available at the time of recording and may change as new evidence comes to light. We aim to inform, not to decide guilt or innocence. So everyone mentioned is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
- [02:20]
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- [02:55]
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Caroline Flack's case first became the subject of media attention six years ago in 2019 when she was arrested for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend at their home in the uk. Caroline was a household name in the UK and she was also known here in the US Mainly for hosting the popular British reality show Love Island. So when the story of her alleged assault circulated in the headlines, people were shocked and some were also completely cruel. The story spiraled way out of control and sadly, the ordeal resulted in Caroline taking her own life. In the midst of her grief, Caroline's mother Christina refused to let her daughter's story end without the full truth coming to light. And now, five years since her death, Hulu has released a documentary about Christine's investigation titled Search for the Truth. Before we unpack everything that led to Christine's relentless journey, let's take a look at who Caroline was before this tragedy. Caroline grew up in Norfolk, England and was the youngest of four children by six minutes. Because her twin sister Jody was born six minutes before her, their whole family was incredibly close and Caroline's mother Christine said, quote, carrie and her twin sister Jo, they'd never grown apart. It was always them two against the world. From a young age, she was drawn to dancing, theater and performing. And in the documentary, there are multiple home videos of Caroline and Judy performing for the family. After high school, Caroline went on to study dancing and musical theater at Bodywork Company in Cambridge from 1996 to 1999. After graduating, her first showbiz break came with an appearance in the comedy sketch show Beau Selecta as Bubbles. Caroline went from performing to presenting beginning in 2003 with the International Pepsi chart show. She then went on to host ITV2 spin off shows, I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here now and the X Factor and finally Love Island. She proved to be a talented live performer as well. She landed roles in musicals and won a celebrity dance show. From the outside, opportunities seemed to fall into Caroline's lap, but the reality was that she worked harder than most to get where she was. All of her life, Caroline had dealt with mental illness characterized by extreme ups and downs, and she had a history of self harm. While she didn't have a formal diagnosis, there was one thing that always helped Caroline pull herself out of the spiral. Her career. Bringing smiles and laughs to other people made her feel good and kept her going. It was clear that Caroline was cut out for success, but it was in 2015 when she hit her big break and became the host of reality dating show Love Island. It was Caroline's dream job and she helped grow Love Island's viewership a ton. She was at the height of her career and the Love Island Contestants she coached weren't the only ones finding romance. Caroline's love life was going well, too. In August of 2019, with four years of love island under her belt, Caroline announced that she had started dating a new guy. Unlike many of her previous partners, Lewis Burton, a British tennis player, wasn't really famous. Anyone really into professional tennis might have recognized his name. But for Caroline, who had dated the likes of Prince Harry and Harry Styles, Louis was more low key in a good way. He wasn't media trained, and he certainly wasn't used to dealing with the kind of press that Caroline got on a daily basis. Lewis was just a regular real guy, and she liked that about him. The two got along well, and by all accounts, it seemed like they made a great pair. Until later that year when it all came crashing down. On the night of December 12, 2019, Caroline and Lewis had each gone out drinking separately. At the end of the night, their cabs pulled up to Caroline's home at the same time and they went back inside together. But both were still pretty drunk. Once inside, Lewis immediately passed out in bed. But before Caroline could lay her head down on her pillow, she noticed something on Lewis's phone. Messages from another woman. Apparently, Lewis was cheating on her. Caroline was extremely upset and woke Lewis up, but she reacted so suddenly that her phone went flying out of her hand and and hit him in the head pretty hard. Lewis was startled and in pain and he threatened to call the police, but Caroline begged him not to. She said if police came to the house, then the news would spread and it could damage her career. But nothing she said made any difference. Lewis was insistent. Caroline became frantic, confirmed details of exactly what went down haven't been released, but it definitely sounds like shouting ensued and throwing things too. And as Caroline became more distraught, she grabbed a piece of broken glass and cut herself with it. That's when Lewis finally called the police. And when officers from the Metropolitan Police Department arrived, they found the apartment was in total chaos.
- [08:32]
When it comes to the holidays, sometimes it seems like the easiest option would be to just buy someone a gift card and call it a day. But if you're like me and really want to do something special, then skip the headache this year and gift an aura frame. I've always loved the idea of a digital frame because I have so many pictures I love and can never choose which ones I want to frame. But I never really loved the way they looked. But my sister, who is an interior designer, bought our whole family aura frames last year. She got us the Carver frame in white and it's the perfect blend of functionality and aesthetics. I just became an auntie, so it's also so fun seeing pictures of my niece and nephew pop up on the frame from our shared family album for a limited time, save on the perfect gift by visiting auraframes.com to get $35 off Aura's bestselling Carver Mat frames, named number one by Wirecutter by using promo code Crime House at checkout. That's a U R A frames.com promo code crimehouse. This deal is exclusive to listeners and frames sell out fast, so order yours now to get it in time for the holidays. Support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply.
- [09:42]
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- [10:08]
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- [10:09]
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- [10:12]
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- [11:02]
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After the police arrived at Caroline's apartment, she and Lewis were still screaming at each other and stuff they had thrown was everywhere. Plus, Caroline was bleeding badly and her blood was all over the bed. Lewis's injuries were minor and through tears, Caroline told police that she had hit him in the head with her phone on accident. The cops confiscated Caroline's phone as a suspected weapon and she was hospitalized for 12 hours. Her cuts were so deep she needed surgery. When she was finally released from the hospital, Caroline was arrested, transported to the police station and thrown into an individual holding cell. Meanwhile, Lewis's injuries had been so minor, he didn't need any medical attention and was sent home right after his initial checkup. He also told police that he loved Caroline and that he didn't want what happened to end up in the news. He worried that if it did, Caroline would hurt herself again, maybe worse this time. Lewis was right to fear a media spectacle, but he quickly realized there was no stopping it. Because when police first got to their house, one of their neighbors had notified reporters. And now photos of police filing in and out of the house were making their way into the tabloids and online. When the news of her arrest reached her friends and family, they frantically tried to contact her. But since the police had her phone, all of their calls and texts went unanswered. Finally, Caroline's twin sister, Jody, made her way to the Metro Police station to get some answers. And that's when she learned that not only was Caroline going to be okay, but. But the Crown Prosecution Service wasn't going to charge her and she'd be out soon. The Crown Prosecution Service is a national organization in England and Wales that prosecutes criminal cases. It's their responsibility to decide whether someone is charged with an offense, and they're commonly referred to as cps. CPS initially told the Flack family that the incident had been minor. It wouldn't be in the public interest to charge Caroline. Their statement said that, quote, the injured party does not support the allegation, meaning even Lewis didn't want to press charges. He just wanted to put all of this behind him. So CPS gave Caroline what's called a caution in the uk. In other words, a formal warning. Caroline's family was relieved. While they knew they had a journey ahead in terms of addressing Caroline's mental health, they had no reason to think her career would be affected. Little did they know things were about to get a lot worse. Because one of the detectives with Metro PD didn't agree with the caution and thought Caroline should face charges related to domestic violence. That detective immediately filed an appeal with cps, and soon, Caroline's whole life fell apart. And as this unfolded with law enforcement, the media was also lapping up every part of the story. Between rumors of infidelity, self harm and potential partner abuse, tabloids were intent on getting every detail out there at the expense of Caroline's privacy and mental health. The British tabloid the sun leaked a photo of Caroline's bedroom taken when police arrived on the scene with a huge arrow pointing to the bloodstain on her bed, the headline read, quote, photo shows attack carnage. Remember, that was Caroline's blood from when she harmed herself. But the article made it seem like it was the result of partner violence, specifically, that Caroline had attacked Lewis and made him bleed. At the same time, no one at the sun had contacted Caroline or any member of her team for comment. They just kept selling the same salacious and unverified story. Within days, the whole world had heard about the rumors. People accused Caroline of domestic abuse. They said she was violent and a danger to others. Pretty soon, people on social media started calling for Caroline to be removed as the host of Love island. And she was devastated. She'd been staying out of the public eye, and now she sent texts to friends saying, quote, I've lost it all. And so publicly, I am the lowest I've ever been in my life. And it only got worse. Around that same time, CPS was reviewing Metro PD's appeal and decided that Caroline should be charged. They said the decision had nothing to do with her celebrity status, but that cautions alone were, quote, rarely appropriate in cases of domestic violence and abuse. They also said that the incident was serious because Lewis had been assaulted in his sleep when he was defenseless. And they added new details to the story and said Caroline had hit Lewis with either a lamp or a box fan. Caroline was arrested on December 13, and on December 17, announced on Instagram that she would be stepping down as the host of Love Island. Caroline entered a not guilty plea on December 23, 2019, and a trial was scheduled for March 4, 2020. After that, she was released on bail. When Caroline appeared at that hearing, she looked pale, exhausted, and like a shell of her former self. Court illustrations showed her breaking down into tears. And afterward, the media scrutinized her testimony, her behavior in the courtroom, and even the outfit she wore to court. Caroline wanted nothing more than her privacy. She spent weeks hotel hopping and eventually moved to a nondescript apartment in East London. At the same time, she worried constantly about Lewis. The conditions of Caroline's bail prevented her from contacting Lewis in any way. She was worried about him because he wasn't used to this level of public scrutiny. But she couldn't reach out. Even he was defending her, announcing on his Instagram that the media's claims were overblown and outright false. He even said that he wished he'd never called the police. But it did nothing to stop the coverage, the speculation, and the cruelty. Meanwhile, it was all weighing heavily on Caroline. The people closest to her who were aware of her struggles with mental illness and her history of self harm were becoming increasingly worried as they watched her come unglued beneath the spotlight. Caroline's messages from this time were devastating and hard to read, especially in retrospect. In one she wrote, I don't see any way out of this. I don't think I can cope with the shame of it all. Caroline took teary eyed videos in the days following her arrest, lamenting not only her own experience, but what Lewis and his family were going through. She stopped leaving her room and her mental state continued to deteriorate. Finally, she texted one of her friends, I'm not gonna survive this. Caroline's family, especially her mother, were extremely worried. Caroline's mom knew something that not many others did, which was that leading up to the incident, Caroline had been talking to doctors about her mental health. Most recently a doctor had told her that she likely suffered from bipolar disorder. But Caroline wasn't sure about seeking treatment because she was afraid if someone found out then her private health information would get leaked to to the public. So right as Caroline was making steps to figure out how to get treatment in a way that worked for her, the tabloids were ripping her apart. And if her bipolar diagnosis was correct, Caroline's loved ones knew that losing her job and receiving so much hate likely felt catastrophic for her. Work was usually the thing that could pull Caroline out of a spiral. But now, without Love island, she had no distraction or outlet and she had no way to take control of her own narrative. All she could do was endure it while she waited for her trial date. All the while the tabloids would not let up and people online, including people who were once Caroline's biggest fans, believed every word they were being fed. Caroline felt completely alone and on February 15, 2020 she ended up taking her own life. It was a tragic outcome to an already harrowing story. However, it wasn't the end.
- [19:43]
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- [20:11]
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In February of 2020, 40 year old Caroline Flack died by suicide after a media firestorm completely destroyed her life. Her suicide rocked the uk. Here was a well known TV personality who had brought laughter, smiles and entertainment to so many people. Who was just gone. The loss of such a bubbly TV personality is a stark reminder that some of the people who are happiest on the outside are struggling the most on the inside, and a reminder of how the impact of bowling through the media and social media can have on anyone. Though there were cruel comments online, there were also questions, questions that Caroline's family had been asking the whole time. And now they wanted answers. Before her death, Caroline had expressed to her mother that she wanted to make a documentary about her experiences. And after she died, Caroline's mother would do just that. Christine wanted justice for her daughter and for the truth to come out, which is why she titled the documentary Search for the Truth. And it's pretty gut wrenching. It tells Caroline's story in depth and argues against the accounts put forth by the media at the time of her arrest and hearing. Interviews with Caroline's family, friends and team paint an entirely different picture of what happened that night and of its aftermath. After her daughter's suicide, Christine went to the independent Office for police Conduct to request an investigation into the CPS findings, and she was vindicated. The IOPC determined that there had been, quote, organizational failings within CPS in the handling of Caroline's case and the decision to go forward with the charge. They further found that the officer who asked CPS to charge Caroline had applied the wrong criteria to bring that charge. Christine reached out to a former CPS officer who had gone public with her own accounts of misconduct in the organization. The officer agreed CPS had mishandled Caroline's case. She never should have been charged. Caroline had admitted in a police interview to having inflicted minor injuries on Lewis. But neither she nor Lewis agreed with the prosecution's assessment that she had caused any kind of significant injury to Lewis's head or any other part of his body. In the police photos, Lewis's injuries are barely visible. When he was assessed on the scene, it was determined that he would not require treatment. Yet the CPS claimed repeatedly that his injuries were extreme. The prosecutors had called them significant, and the media had run with it. There was no evidence that Caroline had ever hit Lewis with a lamp or any other large object. In fact, authorities had only seized her phone as a suspected weapon. But they claimed right there on paper that she had hit him with a lamp. Or maybe it was a box fan. It didn't seem to matter. It was just something big, something more dramatic than a phone. And the media ran with that, too. From the moment the police had arrived on the scene, the Even in the background of Lewis initial call, Caroline had admitted guilt dozens of times. She owned up to her mistake. Over and over again she expressed remorse. Yet in their explanation of the charge, CPS claimed there had been, quote, no admission of guilt. Christine and the former CPS officer suspect that the organization's insistence on charging Caroline had been in service of saving their own image. In the CPS briefing notes, they mention the publicity aspect of the case, writing, quote, likely to be of significant media interest as suspect is television presenter Caroline Flack. Later in the notes, they again refer to Caroline as a, quote, recognizable media personality. CPS had previously come under scrutiny for mishandling domestic abuse cases, with critics saying they failed to take these types of cases seriously enough. It begs the question, had they overcorrected in this case, worried that with Caroline's fame that choosing not to charge her might look bad? Regardless of CPS's motivation, the tragic result was Caroline's death. While the documentary presents the perspective of Caroline and her family, it also highlights how complex the events leading up to her death really were, including the tension surrounding the incident with Lewis. Whatever happened, we can see that Caroline was dealing with profound feelings of vulnerability, and we see the devastating effects of such an ordeal on someone who is already struggling with mental illness. What's unmistakable is how much harsher everything became once tabloids began covering her life with distortion and cruelty, turning a private matter into a public spectacle. Her story shows how overwhelming public scrutiny can intensify existing emotional struggles. Caroline was a celebrity, but she was also a woman in deep distress who needed far more support than she ever received. There have been a total of three suicides from members of the Love Island UK show. The show has implemented a program where they will offer therapy, social media training and financial advice after the show and that rather than waiting for contestants to ask for help, Love island will proactively check up on them after they have left the show. I hope Caroline's family and the families of the other contestants are able to find healing.
- [26:11]
What did you think of tonight's case? Drop your thoughts and theories in the comments. See you next time. If you haven't already, subscribe to our YouTube channel Crime House Daily and follow us on social media rimehouse24 7 for real time updates. Because the pursuit of justice never stops.
- [26:36]
Looking for your next Crime House? Listen, don't miss Clues with Morgan Abshur and Kaylin Moore. Every Wednesday, Morgan and Kaylin take you deep into the world of the most notorious crimes ever. Clue by clue. It's like hanging out with your smart true crime obsessed friends listen to clues on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to podcasts.