PRESSURE was tonight mounting on the Crown Prosecution Service over its pursuit of fragile Caroline Flack as horrifying new details of her arrest emerged.
Sources close to Carolines legal team revealed that on the night police were called to her flat after a fight with boyfriend Lewis Burton, officers found her covered in blood having caused significant injuries to herself.
Friends say Caroline Flack had spent weeks being tormented by the idea that police bodycam footage would be shown in court
And friends say Caroline, 40, had spent weeks being tormented by the idea that police bodycam footage of the incident, showing her in a state of undress and severely distressed, would be shown in court.
Police were so concerned about the self-inflicted deep wounds that she was taken to hospital for urgent treatment.
The star was treated by medics for 12 hours before she was deemed fit enough to be interviewed by officers under caution.
Details of Carolines injuries raise enormous questions about her mental state on the night.
Caroline and boyfriend Lewis Burton had pleaded with authorities for the case to be dropped given her vulnerable mental state and the lack of public interest
They also cast doubt on the CPS decision to prosecute the TV presenter and one made before Valentines Day to pursue her to trial.
Friends say her utter dread over release of the police bodycam footage may have driven her to suicide.
However, Samaritans advice states: There is no simple explanation for why someone chooses to die by suicide and it is rarely due to one particular factor.
A legal source said tonight: Caroline should never have been prosecuted. She should have been given urgent mental health treatment and psychiatric care.
A police van was pictured outside Caroline’s London home
When the police arrived, both she and Lewis were intoxicated.
Lewis had called police because he was very scared for Caroline.
She was clearly emotionally distressed when the police arrived and she was covered in her own blood.
The Sun on Sunday yesterday told how Caroline had received news on Valentines Day that, despite her appeal, the CPS were ploughing ahead with her case.
She and Lewis had pleaded with authorities for it to be dropped given her vulnerable mental state and the lack of public interest.
A court heard last year that Caroline was accused of hitting Lewis, 27, around the head with a lamp before flipping over a table after officers arrived.
Magistrates were also told how police bodycam footage had captured Caroline in the moments after the incident.
The source added: Caroline was terrified the footage of her distressed and covered in blood would be shown to the world in court.
Sources close to her legal team say that after Caroline was arrested, lawyers for the CPS had initially decided not to charge her.
It is understood senior police officers pressed for a charging decision.
In the end, the CPS used guidelines designed to protect long-term sufferers of domestic abuse to charge her despite Lewis supporting Caroline and not wanting her to be prosecuted.
A Flack family legal source said: The CPS were relying on legislation that protects people suffering long-term domestic abuse. Those laws are there to help the authorities prosecute without having the victim onside or needed to give evidence.
Officers found Caroline covered in blood having caused significant injuries to herself, according to sources
Laws designed to help victims who are too afraid to take on their abusers and too terrified to speak in court. But this was a completely different kind of case.
Lewis wasnt a frightened victim. He wanted to defend Caroline. He said the CPS version of what happened that night was wrong.
This was a one-off incident where a minor injury was caused under disputed facts.
The CPS knew they were dealing with an emotionally distressed woman who had caused herself significant harm during the incident.
Caroline had spoken publicly and bravely about her long standing mental health issues
Dr Charlotte Proudman, a human rights barrister, said: This smacks of a show trial.
It feels like it was nothing more than an attempt by the CPS to show how rigorously it pursues domestic abuse cases, especially one involving a male complainant.
Dr Proudman who specialises in cases involving violence against women and girls, added: Im baffled as to why the CPS were so determined to continue with this case.
“There were clear mental health issues at the heart of this case and her vulnerability, both at the time of the incident and afterwards were well known.
Carolines management have criticised the CPS
Someone who was an alleged perpetrator has become a victim of the system.
Caroline was due to stand trial at Highbury magistrates court on March 4 charged with common assault after the December 12 incident in Islington, North London.
At a previous hearing, the court heard that while under caution Caroline told police she would kill herself and that she said: I did it.
Magistrates heard how Lewis had dialled 999 and told the operator: Shes trying to kill me, mate.
Prosecutors said he was hit over the head with a lamp as he was sleeping after she found texts on his phone which had enraged her.
Lewis later stood by Caroline throughout the court case, despite being banned from contacting her.
He posted after the December 23 hearing: What I witnessed today was horrible. She did not hit me with a lamp. Gutted I am not allowed to protect her right now.
Caroline had made no secret of her mental health struggles since her first court appearance in December.
Caroline spoke out about the ‘anxiety and pressure of life’
She had also spoken publicly and bravely about her long-standing issues.
In an Instagram post on October 14, she wrote: I wanted to write something about mental health day last week but I was knee deep in work.
“And some days its hard to write your feelings or your not in the right place.
The last few weeks Ive been in a really weird place…I find it hard to talk about it…I guess its anxiety and pressure of life…and when I actually reached out to someone they said I was draining.
Caroline had admitted that ‘being a burden’ was her ‘biggest fear’
I feel like this is why some people keep their emotions to themselves.
“I certainly hate talking about my feelings. And being a burden is my biggest fear.
In a statement, her management criticised the CPS.
Francis Ridley, of Money Talent Management, said: The CPS should look at themselves today and how they pursued a show trial that was not only without merit but not in the public interest. And ultimately resulted in significant distress to Caroline.
Police were so concerned about Caroline’s self-inflicted deep wounds that she was taken to hospital for urgent treatment
The CPS extended deepest sympathies to Carolines family and friends.
It said Given the tragic circumstances, we will not comment on the specifics of this case at this stage.
In a tweet, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said of Carolines passing: Shows we must do so much more as a society to look out for each other whether online or off.
