LOUELLA JURY NEVER HEARD
He had a duty to help, but tried to save himself
BY ADAM ASPINALL before he filmed Louella FletcherMichie as she lay dying, Broughton had recorded an unconscious Paulina, who he was seeing at the time.
Mr Mousley said it happened after Paulina fell and cracked her head on a sink. having been given a “whole load” of drugs by Broughton.
It was also claimed Broughton had sent Paulina a series of “unpleasant” messages. In one, he allegedly said he “dreams of throwing her off the roof and lying to people about how she died”.
However, Stephen Kamlish QC, representing Broughton, told the court Paulina claimed she had deleted the messages and his client denied he had ever sent them.
At the end of the first week of the trial at Winchester Crown Court, Paulina was flown to Britain by police and interviewed.
Mr Mousley applied to be allowed to put her evidence before the jury. He said: “The prosecution seeks to adduce evidence of other reprehensible conduct by the defendant.
“The source on which the Crown seek permission is that which comes from a statement provided by a female.
“It deals with a specific incident which appears to have occurred some time in the first half of August 2017, so a month THE leader of the police team that nailed Broughton has told how he let Louella die then lied to save his skin.
Senior Investigating Officer Neil Devoto said his officers had to convince the jury that Broughton owed a duty of care to Louella after giving her the Class A drug 2-CP at Bestival.
“We had to prove his duty to act, duty to help, duty to care for her,” Mr Devoto said. “He didn’t help and he didn’t act and he didn’t get care for her, despite numerous requests and demands from her family and friends.”
Broughton failed to take Louella just 90 yards to a medical tent, and instead filmed her as she lay dying.
“You may ask yourself why he did that” Mr Devoto said. “He was on a suspended prison sentence. We believe he wanted to save himself.”
Louella and Broughton went to a wooded area near the festival site, where Broughton gave her a “large dose” of a hallucinogenic drug. He then filmed her as she became more ill – and after she died.
“That medical tent was nearby. Help was nearby,” Mr Devoto said.
“We heard from expert witnesses that early intervention could have saved her. A prudent and reasonable person would look at these videos and say, ‘She needs medical attention.’”
Mr Devoto said Broughton was with Louella for “five to six hours” but only raised the alarm after filming her dead body.
He then lied throughout his police interview, claiming she obtained the drug herself and he had never supplied her.
Broughton’s failure to co-operate meant police had to “glean information” from his phone, CCTV and reports from experts.
Mr Devoto said he believed Broughton was “very saddened” by before events at Bestival. The defendant gives [Miss Aberg] what she describes as a ‘whole load of drugs’ and she says, as a result, she suffered a bad reaction, falling and hurting herself.
“She says that an image of her was taken by the defendant on his phone and subsequent to that she found it and she deleted the image.
“She also says over and above that specific incident, she was aware the defendant had images of people suffering, or suffering death, on his phone, which he appeared to have some interest in.”
The prosecutor also showed the judge two videos of Broughton allegedly “exhorting” a young Louella’s death, but that jarred with his lies in police interviews. He added: “As far as showing remorse – I wouldn’t be able to comment.”
He said Louella’s family were “very loving and grounded” and their lives had veen “utterly torn apart”.
He described Louella as a “free spirit”, a “bouyant, friendly, happy” young woman who had a “fantastic childhood”. She had come to Bestival looking to have fun, but had found herself reliant on a man who failed her. woman to inhale more drugs from a spoon while in Toronto, Canada.
In the first video, a young woman in a blue strappy top and knickers is offered a spoon by Broughton and snorts powder from it.
In a second clip, Broughton can be heard saying “more” as he offers a second spoon to the girl, then telling her she needs to finish the powder on the spoon.
During initial discussions held about Paulina’s evidence, Mr Kamlish said his client denied ever sending the “unpleasant” messages and had in fact offered to help her when he found out she had hurt her head.
Discussing his client’s interest BROUGHTON put his “own needs” above saving Louella, according to the prosecutors in the case.
Simon Jones, senior Crown Prosecution Service advocate, said: “He was with her for five to six hours alone. It was quite clear she desperately needed medical attention and he failed in his duty of care.
“The behaviour had to be grossly negligent to be criminal and our case was it was exceptionally bad.
“There were two features of that: Firstly, the recording of Louella in such a distressed state when it was clear he should have been acting.
“Secondly, he had a suspended sentence of imprisonment hanging over him, and he knew the consequence of what he had done. Our case was he put his own needs over the obvious need of helping Louella.”
Mr Jones said the video Broughton took showed him laughing and playing with a fidget spinner as Louella drew closer to death.
He had lied to police and failed to give evidence in his own defence, so the full reasons for his behaviour would remain hidden. “Only Ceon Broughton knows that,” Mr Jones said. in images of people suffering, the barrister said: “Why is it relevant that someone might take a morbid interest in grotesque images. This is not a case of salacious pleasure in death.”
He said of Paulina: “She has a reason to want to do this and the reason is the breaking up of their relationship.”
Mr Justice Goose ruled that the evidence should not be put before jurors, as it was of “limited assistance”, and it was too late in the case for Broughton to properly defend himself against it.
However, the judge said: “I do not want [Miss Aberg] to believe for a moment this court is forming a view. I do not want her feeling she is being disbelieved.”
PROSECUTOR WILLIAM MOUSLEY QC ON PAULINA’S EVIDENCE ABOUT BROUGHTON