Lewis Burton and Rita Ora lead tributes to ‘angel’ Caroline Flack

It’s been a year since Caroline Flack tragically died. 

And Lewis Burton, who was in a relationship with the TV presenter at the time of her death and good friend Rita Ora have led the tributes to the star. 

Sharing beautiful pictures of Caroline, Lewis wrote: ‘I’ll never forget you’, while Rita wrote that she is an ‘angel among us.’ 

The 40-year-old was found dead on February 15, the day after hearing the Crown Prosecution Service would go ahead with a trial for allegedly attacking her model and former tennis player boyfriend Lewis Burton, 27, in December.

Back in August, coroner Mary Hassell gave a verdict of suicide, saying: ‘I am entirely satisfied she intended to cause her own death. She hanged herself.

‘I find the reason for her taking her life was she now knew she was being prosecuted for certainty, and she knew she would face the media, press, publicity – it would all come down upon her. To me, that’s it in essence.’

It came after her mother, Christine, blasted a senior Met Police officer for appealing against the CPS’s decision to give her daughter a caution after her arrest despite officers finding her at the crime scene with an injury caused by self-harm.

Accusing Detective Inspector Lauren Bateman of treating her more harshly due to her celebrity status, Mrs Flack told the inquest: ‘She (Caroline) cut her arm (to cause serious injury to herself)… and you were putting an appeal in to get her prosecuted, you never bothered to see her.

‘If it had been… an ordinary person, you wouldn’t have prosecuted. I see domestic abuse and I just think you should be disgusted with yourself so 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.’

The ‘appeal’ referenced an initial decision by prosecutors to issue Flack with a caution, before DI Bateman, the senior Met officer in charge when the celebrity was taken into custody, applied for a formal charge instead. The final decision would have been made by a senior lawyer.

Prior to Mrs Flack’s intervention DI Bateman had denied treating the presenter more harshly because she was famous and insisted she ‘wouldn’t do anything differently’ if confronted with the case again today. She said a caution was not appropriate because Flack did not admit her guilt in a police interview.

Flack strongly denied assaulting Mr Burton, and had pleaded not guilty to assault by beating at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on December 23.

Her sister, Jody, said she tried to take her own life before the first court appearance, and then a further two times before she hanged herself at her London flat.

Flack’s family have repeatedly accused the authorities of pursuing a ‘show trial’ despite being aware of her worsening mental health.

The court also heard new details of a note that was found near her body, which read: ‘Please let this court case be dropped and myself and Lewis find harmony.’ 

The TV star’s twin, Jody, who is watching the inquest on a video link with her mother, Christine, confirmed the note was written in her sister’s handwriting.