Lewis Burton, the former boyfriend of late TV presenter Caroline Flack, has broken his silence following the airing of a new documentary surrounding her tragic death. In a rare statement, Burton has directly confronted online trolls and pledged to "share the truth" to "clarify the situation," as reported by the Mirror.

Caroline Flack, renowned as the face of "Love Island," tragically took her own life in February 2020 at the age of 40. Her death occurred after she learned that prosecutors intended to proceed with an assault charge stemming from an incident involving Burton in December 2019. Burton, who dated Flack for six months in 2019, asserted that false accusations and severe online abuse directed at him and his family have compelled him to speak out. He expressed this sentiment on Instagram, stating, "Out of respect, I’ve chosen to remain silent. However, the false accusations and online abuse directed toward me and my family has gone too far. I had hoped it would never come to this, but now I have no choice but to clarify the situation and share the truth."

The new Disney+ documentary, "Caroline Flack: Search For The Truth," delves into the events surrounding her passing, yet Lewis Burton is not interviewed within the series. According to series producer Sophie Clayton-Payne, Burton was approached multiple times to participate. Clayton-Payne revealed, "We contacted Lewis right from the beginning and we said 'We'd love to talk to you off-record just for research purposes [to] understand your perspective on everything.' We also invited him to take part in the series, on camera. He declined to take part." It is speculated that Burton may have experienced renewed social media trolling since the two-part series premiered on Monday, November 10.

Despite his absence from new interviews in the documentary, some of Burton’s comments from the night of the altercation in December 2019 are featured through quotes from police body camera footage. During the incident, Burton initially reported being hit by a lamp, then a fan, before admitting he didn’t know what it was. He later agreed with Caroline that it was his phone that was used, a detail he also shared on social media. Intriguingly, Caroline’s mobile phone was the only item removed from the scene as evidence. Caroline’s mother, Christine, is eager for the public to understand that the involvement of a lamp in the altercation was a "myth."

In the immediate aftermath of Caroline's death, Lewis Burton shared a poignant message on Instagram, expressing his profound grief: "My heart is broken we had something so special. I am so lost for words I am in so much pain I miss you so much I know you felt safe with me you always said I don’t think about anything else when I am with you and I was not allowed to be there this time I kept asking and asking. I will be your voice baby I promise I will ask all the questions you wanted and I will get all the answers nothing will bring you back but I will try make you proud everyday. I love you with all my heart."

The legal handling of Caroline's case has come under significant scrutiny. Former CPS chief crown prosecutor Nazir Afzal, who examined the police documents gathered by Caroline’s mother Christine, unequivocally stated his belief that Caroline should not have faced trial. Afzal commented, "Having looked at all your evidence I can’t understand why they rushed the judgement. This was a case where there is no previous history, no coercive behaviour. Mr Burton never wanted this case and was adamant. This was a one off occasion where she lost her temper and did what she did, which she accepts. For all of those reasons, the very worst thing that should have happened was a caution."

Afzal further criticized the decision to proceed with the prosecution, asserting, "I have prosecuted thousands of these cases, none of this makes sense. Almost immediately in the cold light of day, prosecutors would have formed a view this case is going nowhere and they should have stopped the case. They are required to stop the case where there is insufficient evidence. I can’t think of any reason to proceed, unless they were scared of what the media were going to say about them. It is not about losing face, this is about justice." He concluded with a powerful statement: "My take on it is Caroline would still be with us if certain decisions weren’t taken in that month or two."

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, confidential support is available. Samaritans can be contacted at any time on freephone 116 123 in the UK and Ireland, or by emailing [email protected].