Andrea Townsend,Gemma Evans are denying the manslaughter through gross negligence of Carly Townsend.

22:50 Llanelli 0 Comments

Andrea Townsend, 45, and Gemma Evans, 25, both of Pwll, Llanelli, are denying the manslaughter through gross negligence of Carly Townsend.The 16-year-old, who is Townsend’s daughter and Gemma Evans’ sister, died of heroin poisoning at her mother’s home in Bassett Terrace, Pwll, last May.The prosecution case is that Townsend and Evans were grossly negligent in failing to summon an ambulance for Carly when she collapsed after injecting heroin.Andrea Townsend, under cross- examination in the witness box, told the court this week that 20 of her friends had died due to heroin overdoses. She told the court an ambulance was not summoned for Carly after she collapsed because it was felt she would “sleep it off”.
The jury has heard a drug dealer from Llanelli, Andrew Taylor, was jailed for two years for supplying Carly with heroin.Yesterday, the court heard closing speeches in the case.Ian Murphy QC, defending, said, “Andrew Taylor was charged with an unlawful act which he pleaded guilty to, supplying heroin.
“But it’s Carly’s mother and sister who’ve been singled out for this very serious charge because the prosecution say they owed her a duty of care...that’s the trigger for this prosecution.”Paul Thomas QC, prosecuting, said, “No-one wanted Carly to die but in failing to act in her best interests when they knew, or ought to have known, she was at risk of dying, they are, the prosecution say, each guilty of manslaughter.”