Louella Fletcher-Michie had '90% chance of surviving overdose' with early care, court hears

The daughter of a soap star who died of a drugs overdose at a music festival had a "very good chance" of surviving with early medical treatment, a court has heard.

Louella Fletcher-Michie, 24, whose father John Michie has starred in Coronation Street and Holby City, died after taking the Class A drug 2-CP at Bestival in Dorset in September 2017.

Her boyfriend Ceon Broughton, 29, denies manslaughter and supplying the drug.

Ms Fletcher-Michie's death was the first to be recorded as being caused by 2-CP, Winchester Crown Court heard.

Professor Charles Deakin, a consultant in cardiac anaesthesia and intensive care, told the jury he was "very confident" she would have "stood a very good chance of surviving" if she had been given early medical care.

He put her chances of survival "at 90 per cent".

Prof Deakin said: "As long as she's actually breathing when medical services arrive, the chances of her surviving are very high."

Sedatives, breathing support and the monitoring of blood pressure could have been used to treat Ms Fletcher-Michie at the scene, he said.

As well as "2-CP toxicity", a post-mortem found traces of ketamine and MDMA, the court has heard.

The jury was previously shown a 50-minute video of Ms Fletcher-Michie, taken by Broughton, in which she shouts: "This is the best trip I have ever f****** had."

Prof Deakin, who was asked to analyse the footage by police, said she was "probably hallucinating" and appeared "agitated and confused".

At 8.15pm Ms Fletcher-Michie appeared to be making "incoherent noises", was not "aware of her surroundings" and was "seriously unwell and in need of urgent medical care", he said.

Prof Deakin added that it was "very likely" that Ms Fletcher-Michie had a "high heart rate" - made worse by the MDMA in her system - and eventually became "exhausted" by the effects of the 2-CP.

At 11.24pm, he said there were "no signs of life" and "Louella's skin appears a bluey-grey colour which is consistent with someone who has effectively stopped breathing".

He added: "Her mouth was open and her eyes were rolled back. In all probability she was actually deceased at that stage."

Broughton's lawyer, Stephen Kamlish QC, claimed Prof Deakin had changed an initial draft of his witness statement after talking to a police officer.

Mr Kamlish said Prof Deakin's first draft said it was "not possible to say beyond reasonable doubt that early medical intervention would have been able to save Louella's life".

It apparently added: "However, I do believe that on the balance of probabilities, medical intervention at any time to 9.10pm is likely to have saved Louella's life."

Mr Kamlish put it to Prof Deakin that "today is the first time that you have said that Louella could have been saved as long as she was still breathing".

In reply, Prof Deakin said he had been asked to "clarify and expand" on his evidence and his second draft had not changed any of the meaning of what he said.

"I have never claimed that survival was a foregone conclusion," Prof Deakin said.

The trial continues.