Los Angeles: A doctor who admitted to selling ketamine to actor Matthew Perry was sentenced to two and a half years in prison during an emotional hearing on Wednesday, related to the "Friends" star's overdose death.

Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett sentenced 44-year-old Dr Salvador Plasencia to two years of probation and a $5,600 fine in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles. The judge stressed that while Plasencia did not supply the ketamine that directly caused Perry's death, he and others contributed to enabling Perry’s ketamine addiction for profit.

Plasencia was handcuffed and led from the courtroom amid emotional statements from Perry’s mother, stepmother, and half-sisters. His sister, Madeline Morrison, tearfully described the profound impact of losing her brother, highlighting that celebrities are human beings with families, not objects to be exploited.

“My brother's death turned my world upside down,” sister Madeline Morrison said, crying. “It punched a crater in my life. His absence is everywhere.”

Perry had struggled with addiction for years, including during his tenure on "Friends," where he played Chandler Bing from 1994 to 2004. Plasencia was the first of five defendants to be sentenced in connection with Perry's death in 2023.

Plasencia admitted to exploiting Perry's addiction, referring to him disparagingly in text messages as a “moron” who could be manipulated for money. Prosecutors sought a three-year sentence while the defence requested just one day in jail plus probation.

Perry's mother, Suzanne Perry, castigated Plasencia, defending her son’s strength and condemning the doctor for his actions. Plasencia apologised and became emotional envisioning telling his now two-year-old son about his failure to protect Perry.

Perry legally used ketamine as a depression treatment but sought larger amounts from Plasencia when his regular doctor refused.

The judge noted that while a probation report suggested 8-14 months would suffice, she imposed a harsher sentence. She rejected defence claims that Plasencia was acting as a doctor, emphasising he pressured Perry to buy ketamine and “was a drug dealer in a white coat.”

Four other defendants who pleaded guilty will be sentenced separately in the coming months, with efforts to harmonise all sentences.

With inputs from AP