Caroline Flack's mum has spoken out in response to comments made by chief prosecutor Ed Beltrami, who has insisted he was right to prosecute the late Love Island star. Caroline took her own life in February after learning that lawyers were pursuing an assault charge against her. In an interview with Wales Online, Mr Beltrami suggested that Caroline may have attacked her boyfriend Lewis Burton again, had the CPS not acted. "You've got to come to a decision as a prosecutor. You've got to do what you think is right," he said. "You cannot do what you think is popular.
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"You don't just fold at the first sign of trouble. The fact that the victim doesn't want to know. You've got to look at whether you can prosecute without the support of the victim. Domestic abuse is a separate category by itself – high risk, high risk of repetition, high risk of the offending escalating – so you have to look at that."
Caroline Flack leaves court after being charged with assault
Mr Beltrami continued: "The facts of this case were the guy had made his complaint, he had phoned the police, he was terrified he was going to be killed, he's been hit over the head with a weapon, namely a lamp, he's got a cut to his head, and she's made an admission to the police at the scene. "So in the general principles of domestic abuse you say: 'Well I'm going to proceed without the victim because I've got the admission, I've got the complaint from the victim which I'll try to get in, I've got the physical evidence of the cut to the head and the mess in the flat which has been filmed by the police'.
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The Love Island star with boyfriend Lewis Burton
"But obviously when you make that decision to proceed with case you have absolutely no idea that the defendant is going to take her own life. You can't possibly anticipate that sort of thing."
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In response to his remarks, Caroline's heartbroken mother issued her own statement. She said: "It is deeply regrettable that Mr Beltrami could not have let my beautiful daughter rest in peace. It is as regrettable that he should choose to repeat some of the untruths about my daughter. My daughter was unable to defend herself during her life and is unable to do so now. Shame on you."
