Rapper ‘blamed Holby star and his wife for their girl’s drug death’
The boyfriend of a holby City star’s daughter has blamed her parents for her drugs death, a court heard yesterday.
When questioned by police, Ceon Broughton, 29, denied giving a fatal overdose to Louella Fletcher-Michie at the Bestival music festival.
he also lied that he had not taken any drugs himself, jurors heard.
Broughton, a rapper, said that, with a medical tent just over 400 yards away, he would have carried 24-year- old Miss Fletcher-Michie there.
But he claimed that her father John Michie, 62, and mother, Carol, 68, instead told him on the phone to get help from someone in a ‘high-vis’ jacket.
Jurors have heard that he was serving a suspended sentence at the time, which prosecutors allege is why he did not seek help for his dying girlfriend in September 2017.
Mr Michie, who plays surgeon Guy Self in holby City and has also appeared in Coronation Street and Taggart, watched with his family from the public gallery as Winchester Crown Court heard details of Broughton’s first police interview yesterday. Miss Fletcher-Michie, who died the day before her 25th birthday, is the first person known to have been killed by the
‘She was fine at first, then it spiralled’
increasingly popular designer drug 2C-P. She would have survived had Broughton not been ‘thinking only of himself’, the court has heard.
Miss Fletcher-Michie initially had a 90 per cent chance of recovery. But jurors have been told that instead of phoning 999, Broughton stayed in a secluded wooded area at the Bestival event with her, documenting her decline and mental distress in disturbing videos and photos on his mobile phone.
During his first police interview, Broughton said he had taken no drugs with Miss Fletcher-Michie and did not know how she had got 2C-P.
In the interview, conducted the day after Miss Fletcher- Michie died Broughton claimed she had bought the drugs herself and he had not been there.
he told officers: ‘I think she bought something, she bought LSD or something. We was just having fun and just chilling in the woods. She was tripping and then she said she had acid. She was fine at first, then it kind of spiralled.
‘I called her mum and she told me to get to someone in high-vis. I was trying to calm [Miss FletcherMichie] down, she was rolling around in stinging nettles and stuff. her mum and dad said they were on their way. I wanted to carry her, I wanted to carry her myself, but they told me to get help. I would have carried her myself.’ Broughton said Miss FletcherMichie had left him as he ate a toasted sandwich at lunch time, which is when he thought she had bought the drugs.
Prosecutor Simon Jones told the court: ‘he told officers it was definitely LSD she had taken, because she had said she had taken it.
‘he confirmed later that he did not see where she got it from. he said he did not take anything. [he] said “I am on community service right now, so I can’t get into trouble”. When asked, he said: “No, I did not give her anything.” At the end, he was asked if he wanted to add anything else. Broughton said “I am very distressed about this ... I am in pieces man, she’s not coming back”.’
In a second interview, later the same day, he told officers again that he had not taken drugs at the Lulworth Castle site in Dorset. he said he had only two cans of cider and two of lager.
‘he said he did not have a clear memory of the timings, but he was thinking clearly and trying to act rationally,’ Mr Jones said. ‘he was asked if he was not telling the officers something. he said: “Something I am not telling you? No, there’s nothing.” The officers suggested he had not ensured Louella got the medical attention she needed. he said: “Yeah man, I did. Oh man, I was trying to give her good medical care.” he confirmed he did not dial 999. he said that was because people said they were sending help.
‘The officers suggested he might have been tripping himself.
‘he said: “I was in a good position to take care of her. I acted rationally. You’re talking like I want her to be dead.” he said: “I was caring for her. I was, I was, I was caring for her.”’ The prosecutor added that Broughton had claimed to officers that when he told friends at the festival he had drugs with him he was simply joking.
But jurors have heard that blood samples taken from Broughton revealed he had MDMA, ketamine, diazepam and alprazolam in his system, as well as 2C-P.
Broughton, of enfield, north London, has already admitted two counts of supplying class A drugs in relation to giving Miss FletcherMichie and a friend 2C-P at Glastonbury Festival in June 2017.
he denies supplying Miss Fletcher-Michie the same drug at Bestival, and her manslaughter. The trial continues.