(CNN) - British television presenter Caroline Flack died of suicide after learning that she was definitely going to be prosecuted for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend and fearing press intrusion, an investigating judge ruled, according to the PA Media news agency. .
The former Love Island hostess died in February while awaiting trial for the alleged assault.
Her death sparked an intense debate over press standards, abuse on social media and the protection of reality stars in the UK.
Investigating Judge Mary Hassell said Thursday that the way the case "played out in the national press" was "incredibly difficult for her," and that Flack feared losing his career, PA reported.
"Although her fluctuating (mental) state in general was a background and important in her death, I think the reason she took her life is that she now knew that she was going to be prosecuted safely, and knew that she would face the media. communication, the press, advertising, everything would come crashing down on him, ”Hassell said, delivering the suicide determination to the Poplar Forensic Court in London, according to the PA report.
PA reported that Flack's mother, Chris Flack, told the coroner via video: "I totally agree, I think you understood."
The judicial investigation learned that the presenter had found that prosecutors would pursue the case the day before her suicide, PA reported. Friends say Flack had believed the case would be dropped.
PA added that prosecutor Kate Weiss had reviewed the decision to charge Flack a week after the assault, instead of issuing a warning.
Weiss cited several factors to move forward, including the violence involved, that her boyfriend Lewis Burton was sleeping, that a warning is rare for a domestic violence case, and that police said Flack showed no remorse when questioned, PA reported.
Flack had pleaded not guilty to assaulting her 27-year-old boyfriend Burton. She was on bail pending the trial scheduled for March, and was replaced as the hostess of Love Island a few days after her arrest.
As the host of Love Island since its inception in 2015, she was one of the UK's best-known celebrities.
The investigation heard that Flack told police officers when they arrived at the scene of the alleged assault in December, "I hit him (Burton), he was cheating on me," PA reported.
How to get help : In the United States, call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide can also provide contact information for crisis centers around the world.
