South Korean actresses convicted of propofol abuse

Three South Korean actresses have been handed suspended jail terms for abusing propofol, a short-acting sedative and anaesthetic blamed in the death of US pop icon Michael Jackson, a court official said Tuesday. Park Si-Yeon, Lee Seung-Yeon and Jang Mi-In-Ae were charged in March with taking the prescription drug for "non-medical purposes." All three were found guilty by the Seoul Central District Court on Monday and received eight-month prison terms -- suspended for two years, the court spokesman told AFP. Propofol is a powerful sedative used as a general anaesthetic. It reduces anxiety and promotes relaxation but may cause a person to experience hallucinations. South Korea classified the drug as a psychotropic medicine two years ago, making it illegal to prescribe or consume other than for stipulated treatments that may need anesthesia, such as a gastro-intestinal endoscopy. Park, a top actress who has appeared in many TV shows and movies, received the so-called "milk shot" containing the creamy-colored propofol 185 times from February 2011 to last December. As well as the suspended prison term, she was fined 3.7 million won ($3,490). Lee, a prominent actress and a TV talk show host, received 111 injections during the same period, and fellow actress Jang took 95 shots in 2011 and 2012. The two also received fines of 4 million won and 5.5 million, respectively. All three had pleaded not guilty, arguing they had received the injections for dermatological and plastic surgery treatments or to relieve pain caused by illness and gruelling work schedules. It is not known whether they would appeal. Another top entertainer, Hyun Young, who had been charged with the trio in March, was given a five million won fine at the time and avoided a trial. Two doctors who had been accused of prescribing the drug to the actresses were also handed suspended jail terms, community service and fines. In 2011, Michael Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray was jailed for four years after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter for giving Jackson propofol nightly for some two months before his death, and on the day he died, June 25, 2009.