Louella Michie manslaughter trial: Ceon Broughton sentenced to eight years in prison over girlfriend’s drug overdose at Bestival

Hello and welcome to The Independent's coverage of the sentencing of Ceon Broughton, who has been convicted of manslaughter over the death of Louella Fletcher-Michie

The judge Mr Justice Goose has entered the court.  The jury are also here to see Broughton sentenced.

Yesterday, our reporter Adam Lusher brought you the news from the court as Broughton was convicted of manslaughter over the death of Ms Fletcher-Michie.

She had died on her 25th birthday following the first known overdose from the party drug 2C-P

Louella's sister Daisy begins, reading out her victim impact statement.

"Losing Louella I feel like I have lost my parents and brother - everyone you love shattered to pieces.

"Our lives have been torn apart by someone who was supposed to have loved Louella - why didn't he get help"

John Michie tells the court:" Our beautiful Louella should be here on any measure of humanity.

"Her life cut cruelly short."

"She was trusting, too trusting it seems."

His voice comes close to breaking as he talks about "the gutwrenching pain of those who have lost a child" 

"I go to bed every night with the image of Louella crying out to her mum and dad and brother and sister to help.

"But there was only one person who could have helped her." 

Louella's mother Carol talks about having her "heart and soul ripped out and trampled on, unfathomable pain."

She reads a tribute from one of Louella's friends - "Meeting Louella was like being sprinkled with instant family dust."

Carol tells the court: "She loved life and she loved people."

She talks of Louella's 93-year-old grandmother, who should "never have had to endure such pain in the last years of her life."

She says: "We don't think Ceon is evil.  He is stupid, massively selfish and he lied."

William Mousley QC is now giving the details of Broughton's 24-week suspended prison sentence passed a month before Louella's death.

It occurred because he was arrested in July 2017 and found to be in possession of a lock knife and stanley knife.

Mr Mousley says that when arrested for knife possession: "There were two capsules of 2C-P in his possession, but that didn't give rise to any charge."

The court heard Broughton told police he had been waving the knife around to scare off people he was arguing with off, but he didn't intend to stab anybody."

He told police he had been "stupid"

Stephen Kamlish QC, defending, says Broughton wants to say, in his own words: "Sorry I didn't do more to save Louella.  Sorry for the suffering I caused to everyone who loved Louella and I want to make things right."