Louella Fletcher-Michie trial: Jury reminded how Ceon Broughton filmed girlfriend as she died from drug overdose at Bestival
Trial due to finish on Wednesday as jury begin deliberations
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The jury in the trial of Ceon Broughton, the man accused of manslaughter over the drug overdose death of Louella Fletcher-Michie at a music festival, will shortly begin their deliberations.
Mr Broughton’s barrister, Stephen Kamlish QC, urged the jury on Tuesday morning in his closing statement not to seek “vengeance” over Ms Fletcher-Michie’s death at Bestival in September 2017.
The court heard during the course of the trial how the 29-year-old filmed his on-off girlfriend as she overdosed on class A substance 2-CP at the music event the night before her 25th birthday.
Mr Broughton denies any wrongdoing.
On the final day of testimony, the jury were reminded by the judge how Mr Broughton filmed his dying girlfriend for 50 mins as she suffered from the overdose.
The prosecution claim he supplied the drugs to Ms Fletcher-Michie and should have organised medical help as soon as he realised she was struggling.
But Mr Kamlish told the jury they should not see the case in hindsight.
"If you think ‘morally wrong’; ‘he should have done more’ and ‘if he gave the drugs, he should pay’; ‘he should not have been thinking of himself’ … We all think those things, all of us normal people, including Ceon – now, in hindsight.
“But that is not the basis on which you should decide this case, [although] it is tempting to do so.”
Mr Broughton had realised just how ill Ms Fletcher-Michie was and his video showed not that he was callous or indifferent, but unaware how close to death the 24-year-old was.
The jury heard how Mr Broughton had tried to get help, telling another friend at Bestival where the pair were.
But the judge also reminded them how he had spoken with Ms Fletcher-Michie's mother and brother on the phone during the evening, who pleaded with him to take her to the medical tent.
Despite being just 400m from the medical tent, Mr Broughton did not take her to professional help.
Instead, he continued filming as his girlfriend gradually died over several hours, during which she became incoherent and even screamed "like a wild animal".
Mr Broughton is charged with gross negligence manslaughter and supplying a Class A drug.
If found guilty and sentenced to the maximum possible term of imprisonment, he could face 18 years in jail.
To read updates from the trial as it happened, see our live coverage below:
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At 20:49, the judge says, Broughton sent his friend Ezra Campbell a message saying: "Send meds to that location."
The judge says Mr Campbell replied to this attempt to send a Google pin drop: "I don't have Google maps."
The judge says: "By 2050 he is not getting through to Ezra Campbell so no help is coming through him."
The judge recalls that Mr Campbell later advised Broughton "Fam, just act like you don't know her."
The prosecution has alleged Broughton was reluctant to call an ambulance for Louella because he was worried about getting in trouble with the police because he had already picked up a suspended prison sentence for a previous offence.
At 22:56, the judge says, Broughton sent Louella's father John Michie a message saying: "Going to make sure she gets right medical, carrying her down now."
He then sent another message to the Holby City actor saying: "I don't want to leave her."
The judge acknowledges there is dispute about whether Louella was dead in the image taken by Broughton at 23:25 showing Louella partially covered by a black coat.
He says: "Professor Deakin says she was most likely dead."
The judge recalls Carol Fletcher-Michie's evidence and how Louella's mother said "We welcomed the defendant to our house", including during Christmas 2016.
The judge recalls what Carol Fletcher-Michie said about her phone conversation with Broughton.
The judge reminds the jury that Ms Fletcher-Michie said: "She sounded like a wild animal.
"She was saying in the most horrible voice 'I don't trust you. I hate you.'
"How anyone next to her could not have got help straight away I don't know.
"He just said 'Don't worry, I will look after her.'"
The judge said that when John Michie went into the witness box, he told the court that Broughton had sounded "watery, distant" over the phone.
"I didn't hear any concern in his voice," Mr Michie had told the court.
The judge said Mr Michie had told the court that Broughton had failed to get help "over six hours", whereas the actor said if he had been in that situation, "I would have done everything possible."
Turning to the issue of who supplied the drugs, the judge says: "The defence says he [Broughton] didn't remember he had 2C-P in the back of his phone, but the fact is, he did."
The judge says that the defence has suggested that in his messages to his friend, Broughton "tried six times to get help, involving Ezra Campbell."
Turning to the attempt to find Louella, the judge recalls how Louella's family phoned the festival organisers at about 7pm.
"A search of the ambient forest was completed by 19:30. The deceased was not found."
The court has heard that Louella was not in the ambient forest. She was in a different wooded area.
Later that evening, the judge recalls, Broughton told a member of festival staff "lost in the woods [with] barbed wire."
Another witness described Broughton as being "erratic" and wanting to go back into the woods to find Louella.
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