Man Filmed Ex-Girlfriend Dying From Drug Overdose, Didn’t Seek Help Fearing Arrest

Louella Fletcher-Michie, daughter of actor John Michie, was found dead at the site of Bestival—a four-day musical event— in Dorset, England, in September 2017. Her ex-boyfriend and rapper Ceon Broughton gave her a dose of a psychedelic drug and filmed her as she died, asking for help. The man told a court Tuesday that he didn’t get help since he didn’t want to get arrested. His trial was ongoing.

During a hearing in a court in Hampshire, Broughton admitted to giving Michie a “bumped up” dose of a class A substance 2C-P and failing to do anything for more than six hours despite her needing immediate medical care. The doctors said there was a 90 percent chance they could have saved her had Broughton sought help earlier.

Prosecutor William Mousley informed the Winchester Crown Court that Broughton gave a dose of 2C-P drug to his ex-girlfriend as they attended the event in Dorset. The couple broke up in 2017 but remained friends, often going to concerts and events together.

The jury was informed that instead of seeking help, Broughton stayed in the wooded area with her even as her condition worsened. He recorded the whole thing on his mobile phone.

Mousley informed the jury it was only after Fletcher-Michie’s death that Broughton decided to speak to someone. There was a hospital 400 meters (0.24 miles) away from their place.

The prosecutor said Broughton was given a 24-week prison sentence, suspended for a year, before the incident. However, he didn’t mention the offense that was committed.

“Broughton knew that committing another offense would land him with 24 weeks, or possibly more, in jail. And he shockingly put his liberty before her life. His failure to get her treatment was borne out of selfishness and self-preservation,” Mousley said.

Broughton has already admitted to two counts of supplying class A drugs to Fletcher-Michie and her friend. He, however, denied manslaughter. Fletcher-Michie's was reportedly the first known death from 2C-P in England.

The video clips from Broughton's phone, shown to the jurors, showed Fletcher-Michie, heavily affected by the drug, shouting loudly, repeating incoherent sentences and even hitting herself at times. She was seen yelling “this is the best trip I’ve ever had” and saying “call my mum” several times while a much quieter and calmer Broughton told her to put her phone away.

Broughton constantly ignored the messages from Fletcher-Michie’s parents and her brother who asked him to seek help. Instead, he called his ex-girlfriend a “drama queen". Her mother, Carol Fletcher, heard her “screeching” in the background while she spoke to Broughton and said her daughter sounded crazy.

At around 10:30 p.m., Carol received a message from her daughter asking if she could call them later. Soon after this, Broughton messaged one of his friends, “If her family ask, say a random gave us 2C-P.” By this time, Fletcher-Michie’s parents were on their way to the festival from their home in London but she died before they reached.

A toxicology report revealed that Michie had a cocktail of drugs in her system including 2C-P, ketamine and MDMA. During the trial, Mousley said, “Less than an hour before her 25th birthday she died having taken a large dose, later described as an overdose by the defendant, from class A drug 2C-P which he gave her.”Broughton denied manslaughter and supplying class A drugs. The trial was ongoing.