Caroline Flack’s mother has branded the comments from Ed Beltrami that her daughter should have been prosecuted for assault as "deeply regrettable".
The ‘Love Island’ presenter tragically took her own life in February 2020 after being informed that the Crown Prosecution Service was going to pursue a trial on a charge with assault by beating following an alleged fight at her home in December with her boyfriend Lewis Burton, which she pleaded not guilty to.
Beltrami – who was the head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) north London division at the time but has since started a new role as Wales’s chief prosecutor – gave an interview to the Wales on Sunday newspaper insisting it was right for Caroline’s case to go to trial.
Beltrami said: "You’ve got to do what you think is right. You cannot do what you think is popular … You don’t just fold at the first sign of trouble. The fact 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 – [with a] high risk of the offending escalating. The guy phoned the police, he was terrified he was going to be killed. He’s been hit over the head with a lamp, he’s got a cut to his head, and she’s made an admission to the police at the scene. n the principles of domestic abuse you say, ‘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 evidence of the cut to the head and the mess in the flat which has been filmed by the police.’"
Caroline’s grieving mother Chris Flack has now criticised Beltrami over his interview and says she just wants her "beautiful daughter" to be left to "rest in peace".
In a statement released to the Eastern Daily Press newspaper, 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."
Beltrami also insisted he had no idea Caroline would decide to tragically take her own life at the age of 40.
He said: "Obviously when you make that decision to proceed with the case you have absolutely no idea the defendant is going to take her own life. You can’t possibly anticipate that sort of thing."
Chris – who is married to Ian Flack, Caroline’s father – refuted Beltrami’s claim and has accused the CPS of ignoring correspondence from Caroline’s so solicitors and a psychologist’s report warning of the risk that the television presenter could commit suicide.
Chris said: "Mr. Beltrami says that the CPS ‘had no idea’ that my daughter may take her life when they decided to continue the case against her.
"If that is true then the CPS ignored the correspondence from my daughter’s solicitors and a psychologist’s report warning of just that possibility.
"It also ignores the fact that my daughter had cut herself so badly the night of the incident for which she was arrested that she was taken to two different hospitals and there were concerns for her life.
"How can you claim to have ‘no idea’ that someone may take their life when they have already attempted to do so because of the events in question?
"Does Mr. Beltrami claim to be ignorant of these facts or is he just ignoring them?
"The CPS were fully aware of these matters and the risk when they decided to continue the prosecution."
Chris also described an allegation that her daughter hit Lewis over the head with a lamp as "false".
The CPS announced in March that it would be conducting a review into Flack’s death and later that month the CPS ruled that the case was handled "appropriately".