Louella Fletcher-Michie: Bestival staff searched wrong area for actor’s dying daughter
Written by News on 09/02/2019
Security staff at Bestival searched the wrong area of woodland for the daughter of a TV actor who had overdosed on drugs at the music festival, a court heard.
Louella Fletcher-Michie, 24, the daughter of Holby City star John Michie, died after her on-off boyfriend Ceon Broughton, 29, allegedly gave her the Class A drug 2-CP at Bestival in Dorset in 2017.
He took a photo of her as she lay motionless in undergrowth with her eyes closed, covered by a coat, it is alleged.
On Friday, the jury at Winchester Crown Court heard that a phone call to Bestival staff from Ms Fletcher-Michie’s “terrified” mother, Carol Fletcher-Michie, had triggered a search for her daughter.
She said the family received a call from Broughton in which Ms Fletcher-Michie could be heard “screaming” like an “animal” in the background.
A festival customer support worker, Olivia Moedt, said she spoke to Ms Fletcher-Michie’s mother, who said her daughter had taken drugs with her boyfriend in a forest area.
Prosecutor Simon Jones asked Ms Moedt: “Did Mrs Michie sound worried for Louella?”
“Yes, terrified,” Ms Moedt replied.
“When I spoke to Carol she was really worried and I was worried too… I called over everyone I could think off to help me because I was really concerned,” she added.
Bestival staff member Gemma Thorogood told the jury: “We don’t even comprehend where the woods stretch too, it’s just off the map.”
Broughton later emerged from woods outside the festival’s perimeter, according to security guard Wayne Harrington.
“He asked to borrow a torch so he could go and look for his girlfriend as she had apparently taken an overdose,” he said.
Mr Harrington told the court he and a colleague joined Broughton to search the woods in a “completely different direction from where he had come out”.
He said Broughton was “constantly on the phone” during the 15-minute unsuccessful search.
“He was basically trying to make phone calls, texting and I saw he had the find my phone app up,” he added.
Broughton’s lawyer Stephen Kamlic QC said phone signal at the festival was poor and claimed security guards had left him to search alone without a torch.
Broughton then sent a text to Ms Fletcher-Michie’s mother which said: “These p***** don’t give a f***”.
Jurors have previously watched a 50-minute video of Ms Fletcher-Michie shouting: “This is the best trip I have ever f****** had”.
The court heard that as her condition worsened, Broughton ignored pleas from her family to seek help and continued to film even after she died.
Broughton denies manslaughter and supplying Ms Fletcher-Michie the drug.
The trial continues.
(c) Sky News 2019: Louella Fletcher-Michie: Bestival staff searched wrong area for actor’s dying daughter
