Caroline Flack reportedly made a desperate last call to her lawyer just weeks before she died by suicide.
Nick Green has claimed the star was terrified as she contacted him determined to find a solution to stop the forthcoming trial she was facing for assaulting her boyfriend. It's claimed Flack was put in touch with the Lancashire-based lawyer by pal Mel Sykes, for whom he had represented and managed to have similar charges dropped.
And now, Green has opened up on his last words with Flack and how he feels the 40-year-old could have been saved. Flack died by suicide on February 15, 2020, leaving the world of showbiz stunned. The former Love Island host had rang Green three weeks earlier, with the solicitor claiming she sounded "terrified and vulnerable".
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Internet Unknown)Speaking to Mail Online, he said: "I took the call, and instantly recognised the fear and pain in her voice. She was close to tears. I broke the ice by interrupting her. 'Caroline, I must warn you, if you start to cry, I'll put the phone down."
He claimed that at this moment he was able to hear a spark from Flack, who he says showed an instance of her "strength of character returning". According to Green, it was the body-cam footage from police on the night of her alleged attack on Lewis Burton that had been troubling her most. The alleged incident took place on December 12, 2019, with Burton supposedly asleep. Police arriving at the scene in north London found the pair covered in blood with Flack having cuts to her wrist.
She was later served with a caution after hospital treatment before being charged with assault. She was due to stand trial in March 2020. It's reported the presenter had told friends she would "rather die" than have recordings from that night played in a public arena.
Green pointed out the unusually strict bail conditions that left Flack unable to contact her partner that could have contributed to Flack's mental health deteriorating further. Green claimed that there was no need for such strict conditions due to Burton's refusal to make a statement, the fact no children were involved, and due to Flack having her own home to return to.
"I believe it was the invoking of this 'no contact' condition which sowed the seeds for her suicide,' Green continued. "It ensured she remained isolated and emotional, and it impacted constantly on her fragile mental state."
He also claimed Flack had been hesitant to challenge the order as she was afraid of the extra publicity it may create. "She told me she feared it would result in more media coverage, and that the prosecutor had threatened to play the body-cam footage," Green went on. "All my fears were being confirmed. All I got back, when I informed her that an appeal [to remove the 'no-contact condition'] would be heard in the judge's chambers and she would not have to be present, was 'this is not what my lawyers have told me'. The more I heard, the more I disliked."
He claimed it was "no wonder" her mental health suffered. Just three weeks later, after hearing a trial was to go ahead, Flack was found dead at her flat in Stoke Newington. Green believes that while the star was at her wits' end, she could have been saved.
Now, he is hoping to help her mum, Christine, in her search for the truth about her death. A new documentary is set to be aired on Disney+ in which Flack's mother has questioned the events of her daughter's last 24 hours and the fateful night, and has asked whether has death could have been prevented.
Christine's tireless campaigning to get to the truth took a step closer after the Independent Office of Police Conduct urged the Met to reopen its investigation into the case against the tragic TV star. The watchdog has recommended the force’s Directorate of Professional Standards interview an officer who was at Caroline’s 2019 arrest, shortly before she killed herself.
He was said to have been involved in the move to overrule the CPS decision to only issue the Love Island host with a caution for attacking Lewis Burton. But the unnamed officer was not compelled to give evidence for initial reviews into police conduct as he had left the force. He has since returned to duty.
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
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