Caroline Flack was "right" to be prosecuted, after it was claimed she was facing a "show trial" before her death, says Chief Prosecutor of London North in defence of his decision.
The Love Island television presenter was found dead in her home earlier this year, after finding out the Crown Prosecution Service was going to pursue a trial, which saw her charged with assault by beating following an alleged fight at her home in December with Lewis Burton, which she plead not guilty to.
And now Ed Beltrami, Chief Prosecutor of London North, has defended his decision to continue to prosecute Caroline.
He 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. On 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.'"
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