Broken by grief, consumed by anger, no words were needed to convey the utter devastation felt by Louella Fletcher-Michie’s family after the court passed sentence on the man who helped take her from them.
Not even the knowledge that Ceon Broughton – the drug-dealing ex-boyfriend found guilty of being responsible for her manslaughter – was starting eight years behind bars could stave off their pain.
The 30-year-old Londoner had “bumped up” her dose of the hallucinogenic drug 2-CP. He was also found guilty at Winchester Crown Court three days ago of supplying Miss Fletcher-Michie with the drug before her death at the Bestival music festival in September 2017. He had previously pled guilty to two other charges of supplying drugs to Miss Fletcher-Michie at Glastonbury festival in June 2017.
He had tried to wriggle out of the responsibility for his actions. Tried to justify videoing her as she died, her desperate family on the phone begging him to help her.
Her father was forced to listen to it all. And yesterday a crushed Holby City actor John Michie, famed for Taggart and Coronation Street too, read his victim impact statement to the court with the conviction no script could ever convey.
“I wake up every morning to face life starting again without Louella, our daughter, our sister, our friend, our family – now broken,” he choked. “And for what? It makes no sense – our beautiful Louella should still be with us on any measure of humanity.
“No more yoga with my daughter, no more running around the outside of the Arsenal stadium with my daughter, no more family fun and laughter with my daughter.
“Her life cut cruelly short. Our lives forever diminished.
“Ask anyone of the hundreds of people of all creeds and colours from every section of society who were at Louella’s celebration of life and they will tell you what a happy and inclusive family we were.
“A family who welcomed all Louella’s friends into our house with open arms. Her friends always came to her for advice, she was wise beyond her years and trusting, too trusting, it seems.
“Losing Louella has made me want to move away from our home where she was born, away from the pain of passing her room, away from the memories of her dancing and laughing in the kitchen or fooling around in the garden, away from her beloved Holloway.
“Away from the gut-wrenching pain that those who have lost a child or loved one will understand.
“Myself, Daisy and Sam have all had to turn down work because of this trial. A trial where we have been subjected to the horrible truth of Louella’s lonely death.
“And subjected to the tears and anguish of hard-working people, brave enough to stand witness, worrying that they could have done more for Louella.
“But they, the judge and jury, the CPS and their legal team, the police and expert witnesses have all done something for Louella.
“They have revealed the truth and disseminated the lies in front of our eyes for all to see.
“I go to bed every night with the trauma of Louella crying out to her mum and dad, her brother and sister to help her, but there was only ever one person who could have helped.”
Miss Fletcher-Michie’s father, mother, Carol, and sister, Daisy, also read statements. Daisy said: “I feel like I’ve lost my parents and my brother too, not just Louella. Seeing everyone you love shatter to pieces, everyone who would usually comfort and support you in times of need, all in the same state as you, heartbroken and traumatised..
“I couldn’t be alone or get to sleep at night for months. I had constant images in my head and would act out how I imagined everything unfolded on the day, constantly.
“I really can’t see a positive future, where pain isn’t clouding over us all. Louella will be painfully missed every single day.
“Every single day I try to understand why Ceon didn’t help Louella, the hours that passed with her getting progressively worse, even having spoken to him on the phone myself and begging him to get her to a medical tent.
“Why didn’t he? What was he doing all that time? I constantly question all this but I know I’ll never have the answers.
“Our lives have been torn apart by the actions of someone who was supposed to have loved Louella, the most-loved person I know.”
Carol Fletcher-Michie, a former dancer with Hot Gossip, said: “Having to learn to live with this for the rest of our lives, it’s thrown everything I believe in life into question.”
She added of the defendant: “We do not think Ceon is evil, he was stupid, massively selfish and he lied.”
Sentencing Broughton, the judge Mr Justice Goose told him: “You were only concerned for yourself.”
The prosecution claimed during the trial that Broughton had failed to take “reasonable” steps to seek medical help for Miss Fletcher-Michie.
The jury was shown videos taken by the defendant as her condition worsened – and possibly after she had died – after she had taken a “large dose” of the psychedelic drug on the afternoon of September 10.
In clips shown to the court, Miss Fletcher-Michie repeatedly shouts at Broughton to telephone her mother.
Her mother eventually contacted Broughton at 6.48pm and heard her daughter “screeching” before she rushed with her husband to the festival site in a bid to find her.
Prosecutor William Mousley QC said Broughton did not get help because he was handed a suspended jail term one month earlier and feared the consequences.
Stephen Kamlish QC read a statement from Broughton saying: “Sorry I didn’t do more to save Louella, sorry for the suffering I caused to everyone who loved Louella.
“I want to make things right.”
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