Caroline Flack arrested and charged with assault by beating

Love Island star Caroline Flack has been arrested and charged with assault by beating, following a fight at the home she shares with her boyfriend Lewis Burton.

Six police cars were seen outside the TV presenter’s London home in the early hours of Friday morning.

A man, believed to be Flack’s boyfriend, Lewis Burton, was treated for injuries, but his condition is not thought to be serious.

BREAKING: Caroline Flack, 40, was arrested and charged with assault by beating on Friday following a fight at the London home she shares with boyfriend Lewis Burton, 27

Shocking: A man, believed to be Flack’s boyfriend, Lewis Burton, was treated for injuries, but his condition is not thought to be serious (pictured in November)

A Met Police spokesman told MailOnline: ‘Caroline Flack, 40, of Islington was charged on Friday, 13 December with assault by beating. She will appear on bail at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 23 December.

‘This follows an incident at approximately 05:25hrs on Thursday, 12 December after reports of a man being assaulted. He was not seriously injured.’

The man was treated by paramedics and a London Ambulance Service spokesman said: ‘We were called yesterday (Thursday 12 December) at 5.28am to reports of a person unwell in Islington.

‘We sent an ambulance to the scene and took a person to hospital.’

Police said he had ‘sustained injuries’. The spokesman added: ‘Officers attended along with the London Ambulance Service.

‘A man sustained injuries, which are not thought to be serious. A woman was arrested at the location on suspicion of actual bodily harm.’

MailOnline has contacted a spokesperson for Caroline Flack and ITV for comment.

Caroline and her tennis player and model boyfriend Lewis have been in a relationship since July.

Five months in: Caroline and her tennis player and model boyfriend Lewis have been in a relationship since July (pictured in November)

Common assault according to the UK Sentencing Council

Common assault (section 39, Criminal Justice Act 1988)

A person is guilty of common assault if they either inflict violence on another person – however slight this might be – or make that person think they are about to be attacked.

They do not have to be physically violent – for example, threatening words or a raised fist could lead the victim to believe they are going to be attacked – and that is enough for the crime to have been committed. Other acts like spitting at someone may also classed as common assault.

The offence covers both intentional and reckless acts. For example, the offender may not have intended to cause the victim to think an attack was imminent but if they behaved in way that was likely to make the victim think they were about to be attacked, and they didn’t care what effect that behaviour would have, the offender is guilty of the offence.

If violence is used in a common assault, it is called a “battery” and the perpetrator would be charged with “assault by beating”. This does not however, mean that the victim was actually ‘beaten up’ or even hit or kicked – it could be that they were pushed, grabbed or spat at. The victim may not therefore have suffered any physical injury, and if any injury was caused, it would need to be quite minor to fall under common assault.

There are some situations in which actions that might fall under the definition of ‘assault’ are lawful, for example in medical interventions, in self-defence, or where it is part of a contact sport like rugby.

The maximum sentence allowed by law for common assault is six months imprisonment, and cases can only be heard in the magistrates’ court. If the assault is racially or religiously aggravated, the maximum sentence is two years imprisonment and cases can be heard in the Crown Court as well.

There are two other offences related to common assault – assault with intent to resist arrest and assault on a police constable in execution of his duty.

Their relationship seemed to be on the rocks when they in a furious argument during their Spanish holiday in October.

Caroline was pictured engaging in a tense discussion with Lewis as they sat on board a luxury vessel while out at sea with a group of their friends in Ibiza.

In August, a source told The Sun the couple that Caroline and Lewis had ‘really hit it off’ after being ‘introduced through mutual friends.’

Lewis is currently signed to Select Model Management following his stint as a professional tennis player.

The hunk began playing the sport at the tender age of seven, and reached a career high when he played the final of the boys’ doubles with George Morgan at Wimbledon in 2010.

Lewis played his last game in professional tennis with Marcus Willis at the Great Britain F2 in Sunderland back in January 2015.

Earlier this year, Caroline embarked on a short-lived romance with rugby player Danny Cipriani, 31, before their relationship fizzled out in May. She was previously engaged to Apprentice star Andrew Brady for just under a year back in 2018.

She previously romanced stars such as former X Factor co-star Olly Murs, 35, musician Harry Styles, 25, and music manager Jack Street, 31.

Last month, Caroline was forced to shut down rumours that she and Lewis were engaged to one another, with her rep saying it’s ‘100% not true.’

While celebrating her 40th birthday that month, she addressed the milestone birthday in an Instagram Story, admitting she was ‘utterly grateful’ for everything.

She wrote: ‘Jesus …Last day of my 30s …. and what a ride it’s been so far,’ she wrote. ‘Feeling so utterly grateful for EVERYTHING in my life right now.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk