Caroline Flack

[Billysboots]

Fair comment. I based my opinion on the snippets around at the time suggesting they had prosecuted her because she was famous and the implication if the same had happened to an unknown the case would not have gone to court.

The reviewing lawyer would have to apply what’s referred to as the public interest test as part of the decision process. Given this was a domestic violence case, the CPS, rather than the police, are obliged to make the charging decision.

The police are allowed to make some charging decisions, and the process is the same. First, a case has to meet the evidential test - there has to be a realistic prospect of conviction. If that test is met, the case then has to be in the public interest to prosecute. As someone who has made countless charging decisions myself, I can say without hesitation that the public interest test in a case involving someone in the public eye is likely to be an absolute nightmare.

 

[RichA]

The Human Rights Act gives everyone the right to a private and family life.
Government agencies have to obtain authority before they can breach it for purposes like law enforcement.
I've never fully understood why commercial entities like the media can use "public interest" as a reason to publish private information for the purposes of selling news to satisfy people's base desire for gossip.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

The Human Rights Act gives everyone the right to a private and family life.
Government agencies have to obtain authority before they can breach it for purposes like law enforcement.
I've never fully understood why commercial entities like the media can use "public interest" as a reason to publish private information for the purposes of selling news to satisfy people's base desire for gossip.

...add in their prurient and voyeuristic demands...

 

[Ethan]

I'm not sure I buy into the "they sought fame/media attention so need to suck it up when they turn on them" attitude. There's no excuse or reason for the hounding she was subject to. She had a private fight with her boyfriend and the result was he had a small cut to his head - much of the blood later shown in newspaper images (how the hell did they get them?!) was her own (she self-harmed). Fact is that is a very private episode that seemed to get blown out of all proportion in my mind - not even sure why the CPS were so keen to send it to trial.

Anyway - for me there is not even the tiniest excuse for the hatred that came her way.

Well, I didn't hate her, I was barely aware of her, but there is a hypocrisy when it comes to the media from a lot of people in the public eye. They expect to be able to parade their other half, kids, whatever when it suits them and then call privacy when they want too. Tiger Woods was exactly the same.

The offence she was being investigated for would have been a criminal offence, and not one protected by specific privacy clauses, and certainly not a private matter.

You don't know why the CPS was looking at her for smashing a glass beside lamp over her boyfriend's sleeping head? Really?. Try reversing the genders in that sentence and see if you still agree.

 

[RichA]

I wasn't particularly aware of what she did, other than Strictly, but that's irrelevant. Everyone is entitled to a private and family life and working on TV and building a media profile doesn't forfeit those rights.
When the police deal with somebody, they have a duty of care to them afterwards - referring for drug or MH advice, which she presumably got.
Elements of the media took it upon themselves to publicly destroy her without a thought for the consequences.

 

[Ethan]

I wasn't particularly aware of what she did, other than Strictly, but that's irrelevant. Everyone is entitled to a private and family life and working on TV and building a media profile doesn't forfeit those rights.
When the police deal with somebody, they have a duty of care to them afterwards - referring for drug or MH advice, which she presumably got.
Elements of the media took it upon themselves to publicly destroy her without a thought for the consequences.

It was widely reported that the issue which triggered her suicide was her concern about the police proceedings, including body camera video of the scene. She reportedly told police that she ould kill herslef after they arrived to investigate the assault. Although it may not sound logical you do not have to be suicidal to commit suicide and threats of suicide are very common. My OH, a psychiatrist, hears multiple threats every day. Nor are they, necessarily, evidence of mental illness,. Most are associated with personality disorder or manipulative behaviour.

Blaming the media, even though some of them are indisputably scumbags, for everything just absolves people of personal responsibility, for example not smacking others over the head with bedside lamps.

 

[RichA]

Blaming the media, even though some of them are indisputably scumbags, for everything just absolves people of personal responsibility, for example not smacking others over the head with bedside lamps.

Not really. Justice is supposed to be decided by the courts, not the red tops and twits (meaning Twitter users, not you obviously).

 

[Ethan]

Not really. Justice is supposed to be decided by the courts, not the red tops and twits (meaning Twitter users, not you obviously).

Justice is decided by the courts, following a decision by the CPS to charge. The red tops may salivate over the details, but they are not actually involved and have no influence on those who matter in the process.

 

[sunshine]

Caroline Flack was very much an established television and radio personality before social media exploded - the success of her career was not based around social media

She did Love Island, which is a product placement show selling merchandise driven by social media.

The media appears to work on a cycle whereby they put people on a pedestal and then knock them off. It's trashy and disgusting but people volunteer to enter this cycle. Some people are unwillingly dragged into this and when this happens it is really unfair. However I can't have much sympathy for the people who actively jump into this situation and then struggle, even though they knew exactly what they were getting into.

 

[RichA]

Justice is decided by the courts, following a decision by the CPS to charge. The red tops may salivate over the details, but they are not actually involved and have no influence on those who matter in the process.

You really think the mainstream popular press have no influence over organisations that are headed by political appointees?
I'm sorry this has become a petty argument. I think the whole thing is very sad. I thought that her boyfriend forgave her and didn't want her prosecuted. My understanding is that unless an assault is particularly serious, that's usually cause to leave it.
A separate standard seems to have been applied to her case.

 

[Billysboots]

You really think the mainstream popular press have no influence over organisations that are headed by political appointees?
I'm sorry this has become a petty argument. I think the whole thing is very sad. I thought that her boyfriend forgave her and didn't want her prosecuted. My understanding is that unless an assault is particularly serious, that's usually cause to leave it.
A separate standard seems to have been applied to her case.

See my earlier reply.

The police and CPS have a tendency to now pursue domestic assaults in the absence of a complaint, known as victimless prosecutions, as a means of safeguarding victims from repeated bouts of violence. It therefore follows that such prosecutions are more likely if there is a previous pattern of behaviour involving the same parties.

It’s called positive action, and certainly when I was making decisions whether to refer domestic cases to the CPS for a charging decision, it was strongly encouraged. This was primarily because the pattern of behaviour in domestic cases tends to worsen over time, and as a consequence long term victim safeguarding is paramount. Victims frequently disagreed with it, but the decisions were made with their long term safety at the heart of the process.

I obviously don’t know the background relating to this particular case, but the charging decision is entirely in keeping with my experience.

 

[Ethan]

You really think the mainstream popular press have no influence over organisations that are headed by political appointees?
I'm sorry this has become a petty argument. I think the whole thing is very sad. I thought that her boyfriend forgave her and didn't want her prosecuted. My understanding is that unless an assault is particularly serious, that's usually cause to leave it.
A separate standard seems to have been applied to her case.

What is the separate standard? She wasn't arrested on the night in question, and from a criminal offence point of view, "pressing charges" is not in the gift of the victim but the prosecuting authorities. I think the assault was pretty serious because it could have resulted in serious injuries. It takes a skilled practitioner of lamping to smack a lamp over someone's head with confidence it will not put their eye out or cause a sub-dural bleed.

 

[RichA]

You win. Please stop. You have the unfair advantage of knowing all the answers, having seen all the evidence and possessing the power to know what the result of a trial would have been. I can't compete with that.

 

[Ethan]

You win. Please stop. You have the unfair advantage of knowing all the answers, having seen all the evidence and possessing the power to know what the result of a trial would have been. I can't compete with that.

Get over yourself. Nobody predicted the outcome of a trial. The fact she smacked him with the lamp is not in dispute.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Get over yourself. Nobody predicted the outcome of a trial. The fact she smacked him with the lamp is not in dispute.

You show such a high level of condolence as well comfort solace compassion and support for a young lady that decided the she could no longer survive on the world and left behind a heartbroken family

Do you ever think that maybe this wasn’t the thread to stand upon your high pedestal and preach to all us beneath you ?

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Another thread heading for closure unless people stop taking chunks out of each other.

Getting fed up with constantly having to police these threads and we will be taking action against those responsible

 

[road2ruin]

The whole #BeKind concept, whilst admirable, is completely unrealistic. People don’t need to be ‘Be Kind’, they just need to not be a dick. Do that and we’ll all be a lot happier.

 

[Tashyboy]

Another thread heading for closure unless people stop taking chunks out of each other.

Getting fed up with constantly having to police these threads and we will be taking action against those responsible

The last sentence on the opening post hit the nail on the head. A classic Case of what is said and what is done by some folk.

 

[AmandaJR]

Another thread heading for closure unless people stop taking chunks out of each other.

Getting fed up with constantly having to police these threads and we will be taking action against those responsible

The last thing I wanted and why I deliberately avoided quoting some posters in replies so as not to spark an "I'm right and you're wrong tirade"

 

[Ethan]

You show such a high level of condolence as well comfort solace compassion and support for a young lady that decided the she could no longer survive on the world and left behind a heartbroken family

Do you ever think that maybe this wasn’t the thread to stand upon your high pedestal and preach to all us beneath you ?

That is totally untrue. I commented on the role of the media and the police. One of the big problems with the 'blame the media' and over empathising with people with suicidal threats is that it gives license to people to make threats and encourages self harming behaviour, as well as excuses other behaviour. Insincere empathy can be harmful.

I have treated people like this, administered antidepressants and ECT to some of them, and dealt with people who have attempted suicide (some of which proved successful a day or two later, and some of whom didn't really mean it to be effective).