The family of a woman who was filmed as she died from a drug overdose at a music festival have given evidence at the trial of the man accused of her manslaugher.
Louella Fletcher-Michie, 24, daughter of Holby City actor John Michie, died after taking the Class A party drug 2-CP at the Dorset music festival Bestival on 11 September 2017.
Ceon Broughton, 29, from Enfield in north London, denies the charge and another of supplying the drug to Fletcher-Michie.
Ms Fletcher-Michie's mother Carol was among those giving evidence at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday.
In a 50-minute video shown to the court on Wednesday, Fletcher-Michie was seen shouting: “This is the best trip I have ever f***ing had.”
Mr Broughton ignored subsequent pleas from her family to seek help and continued to film even after she was dead, jurors at Winchester Crown Court heard.
Jurors were told Fletcher-Michie’s mother eventually contacted Mr Broughton at 6.48pm and heard her daughter “screeching” in the background.
She “dropped everything” and travelled with Mr Michie to the festival site at Lulworth Castle, the court heard.
Fletcher-Michie was found dead by security at around 1am on 11 September 2017 after Mr Broughton left her to seek help, the court was told.
Read below for the developments as they unfolded.
Hello and welcome to The Independent's coverage of the trial of Ceon Broughton, accused of manslaughter following the death of his girlfriend Louella Fletcher-Michie from an overdose of the party drug 2-CP at the Dorset music festival Bestival in September 2017.
Adam Lusher reports live from Winchester Crown Court.
The court has previously heard Mr Broughton filmed Louella Fletcher-Michie's final moments.
Here's Chiara Giordano's report.
Louella Michie: Holby City star's daughter filmed dying by boyfriend after he gave her drugs, court hears
Ceon Broughton referred to 24-year-old as 'drama queen' and did not call for help over fears he would trigger a previous jail sentence, jurors are toldYesterday at Winchester Crown Court, Louella Fletcher-Michie was seen on film at Bestival saying, “This is the best trip I have ever f***ing had”, allegedly while under the influence of the party drug 2-CP.
Samuel Osborne has more.
Woman shouted 'this is the best trip I've ever had' while dying of drug overdose at Bestival, court hears
‘My mum and dad, my brother and sister, I love you lot,’ 24-year-old said while overdosingThe jury will soon enter the court for the third day of the trial, in which Ceon Broughton, 29, is accused of manslaughter after he allegedly filmed a video of Holby City actor John Michie’s daughter Louella Fletcher-Michie as she overdosed on the drug 2C-P.
The jury has been shown a 51-minute video, taken by Broughton, which shows Louella as she overdosed at the Bestival festival in Dorset in September 2017.
The court has also heard that Louella’s parents rushed from London to Dorset after her mother Carol Fletcher-Michie telephoned Broughton and heard her daughter “screeching”.
Louella’s brother Sam also contacted Broughton and urged him to seek medical help, Winchester Crown Court has heard.
But Broughton sent Sam a message which said "call back in an hour" and referred to Louella as a "drama queen", the jury has been told.
At 1am on 11 September 2017, a security steward found Louella dead 400 metres from the festival's hospital tent, after Broughton had left her to seek help.
A health expert, the court heard, estimated that Louella would have had a 90 per cent chance of surviving the 2C-P overdose if there had been early medical intervention.
The jury has been shown a 51-minute video, taken by Broughton, which shows Louella as she overdosed.
Broughton, 29, of Enfield, north London, denies manslaughter and supplying Louella with 2C-P.
It is expected that Louella's mother Carol Fletcher-Michie will give evidence for the prosecution today.
The court has already heard that on the night her daughter died, she telephoned Broughton and heard her 24-year-old daughter screaming.
She and her husband, Holby City actor John Michie, were so worried they got in their car and drove 130 miles from their London home to the Bestival festival in Dorset, the jury has been told.
The prosecution also alleges that Broughton delayed going to seek help because, a month earlier, he had been given a 24-week suspended prison sentence, meaning he was worried about getting in further trouble with the law.
In previous days’ evidence, William Mousley QC, prosecuting, told the court: “To have acted positively, he knew would have exposed him to the possibility of arrest and prosecution for a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment."
"His failure to get her treatment which may well have saved her life was borne of selfishness and in self-preservation.”
For personal reasons, one juror is unable to continue hearing the case and has been discharged.
The trial will now continue with an 11-member jury.
Mr Justice Goose, the judge, has explained to the jury that although the video they had to watch yesterday was distressing, it is an important part of the evidence.
Louella's mother Carol Fletcher-Michie has been called to the witness stand
She explains she has been married to Holby City actor John for about 30 years, and had three children. Louella was the youngest and lived at home with her parents.
"She was carving her own way through live, being creative. She loved dancing, and she danced as much as she could," Ms Fletcher-Michie tells the jury
"She was always healthy, into fitness. She always liked healthy food - a stick of celery and humus. She liked running."
Ms Fletcher-Michie says she warned her daughter about drugs, but knew she occasionally took them.
"I talked to her about drugs and to be sensible, and just because people around you do it, it doesn't mean it's OK. Just think for yourself."
She adds that she thought her daughter was "quite calm and measured" about drugs, "But she did. She took them at festivals occasionally. She certainly didn't go out every weekend getting out of her head. That's not who she was."
Ms Fletcher-Michie says her daughter started a relationship with Broughton in June 2016:
"Ceon spent Christmas with us at our house, and then broke it off after Christmas.
"She was really shocked. She was devastated.
"She said, 'I have to get away, mum. I can't keep bumping into him in the street. So she went to a dancer friend in LA."
Later, however, Ms Fletcher-Michie became aware the relationship was rekindled.
Ms Fletcher-Michie said she realised her daughter had gone to Bestival to meet Broughton.
"I understood she was going without her usual group of friends. I just thought she would be meeting Ceon. There was a determination to go."
In a 12-minute phone call with Broughton on the night Louella took drugs, Ms Fletcher-Michie said she heard Louella sounding "like a wild animal in the background"
"I couldn't believe it was her voice," said Ms Fletcher-Michie.
"It was the last time I heard her voice," she added.
"She was screeching," said Ms Fletcher-Michie. "I was saying, 'Is that Louella?' He was saying, 'Don't worry Carol, I will look after her.'
"I said, 'let me speak to her, let me speak to her.
"He kept saying, 'Don't worry. I will look after her'.
"His voice was like, wavy."
Ms Fletcher-Michie added: "How anybody could be with her and not get help, I don't know."
As she approaches the moment where she has to describe how she was told her daughter was dead, Ms Fletcher-Michie emits a loud sob and has to sit down
During the phone call with Broughton, the court heard, Ms Fletcher-Michie heard Louella saying "I don't trust you, I hate you."
"She was saying over and over again," said Ms Fletcher-Michie. "Obviously she loved Ceon, but under the influence of whatever she had taken, that was what she was saying."
She added that she heard Louella saying 'Get my mother' and 'Give me my phone'.
"Ms Fletcher-Michie said: "I just thought any moment now, she will stop and I will speak to her."
Ms Fletcher-Michie said she told Broughton, "You have got to get her help, you have got to get her help. Take her to the medical tent."
She and her husband abandoned a family gathering and drove straight to the festival, the court heard.
Ms Fletcher-Michie said: "I thought we were going to pick her up, bring her home to look after her. That's what I thought was happening."
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