Louella Michie court case: Friend told boyfriend 'fam, just act like you don't know her' as woman was dying of drug overdose at Bestival
Emotional day in court ends after family recount hearing news of daughter's death
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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.
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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"
"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."