Matthew Perry's family want maximum jail time for 'Ketamine Queen'

Matthew Perry's family have urged a judge to give the maximum sentence to the "heartless" drug dealer who supplied the fatal dose of ketamine taken by the star before his death.

Debbie Perry, the Friends actor's stepmother, made the request in a victim impact statement filed to the court ahead of the sentencing of Jasveen Sangha, known as the "Ketamine Queen", later today.

Five people, including doctors and Perry's personal assistant, have pleaded guilty to various charges connected with Perry's death. Sangha is the latest to be sentenced and prosecutors are calling for her to be jailed for at least 15 years.

In her statement to the US district court for central California, Debbie Perry said the pain caused by Perry's death "to hundreds maybe thousands" was "irreversible".

She said there is "no escape" from the thought that they will never see Perry again, and added: "You caused this."

Making a request to the court, she said: "Please give this heartless woman the maximum prison sentence so she won't be able to hurt other families like ours. Thank you."

Perry was found in his hot tub by his assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, who is due to be sentenced later this year, in October 2023. A medical examiner later ruled that ketamine and other factors had caused him to lose consciousness and drown.

Prosecutors say in court documents that Sangha "repeatedly sold dangerous drugs in high volume", that she "ran a stash house and directed others to help sell her drugs", and "obstructed justice to conceal her actions".

Perry bought large amounts of ketamine from her, including 25 vials for $6,000 (£4,464) in cash four days before his death, prosecutors previously said.

In her guilty plea last year, Sangha admitted one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury.

Lawyers defending her say she has accepted responsibility for her crimes and are calling for her sentence to be no more than time already served.

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In December last year, Salvador Plasencia, a doctor, was jailed for two-and-a-half years for illegally supplying ketamine to Perry in the weeks before his death.

Another doctor, Mark Chavez, was sentenced to eight months home confinement over the fatal overdose, later in December. Erik Fleming, an associate of the actor, is due to be sentenced later this year.

Perry had struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on Friends, when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation playing Chandler Bing alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer.

The show ran for 10 seasons, from 1994 to 2004, and Perry and his castmates also appeared in the reunion show in 2021.

(c) Sky News 2026: Matthew Perry's family want maximum jail time for 'Ketamine Queen'