Father convicted of murdering four-week-old son after drinking 8.5 pints

Tony Bartlett, 39, was unanimously convicted of murder at Bristol Crown Court after violently shaking his newborn son Atticus. A life sentence is expected at his July 24 hearing.

Bristol Crown Court convicts father of murdering newborn son

A Bristol Crown Court jury has unanimously convicted Tony Bartlett, 39, of murdering his four-week-old son Atticus, the Daily Express reports. The verdict was delivered after jurors heard how Bartlett had consumed 8.5 pints of lager before returning home to care for the infant on the night of 16 July 2022.

Atticus collapsed at the family home on Darcis Row in Chard, Somerset, and was taken first to Musgrove Park Hospital before being transferred to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. His brain damage was so severe that he never regained consciousness or breathed independently. He died just before midnight on 23 July 2022.

'Drunk and frustrated' when he attacked his son

Prosecuting counsel Charles Row KC told the jury that Bartlett had been "drunk and frustrated" when he attacked the newborn. That evening, Bartlett and his then-partner Evelyn Ballentyne, Atticus's mother, had gone to a pub and comedy club, leaving the baby in the care of Ms Ballentyne's mother, Rachel Donovan, and her husband Andrew at the family home.

On their return, at around 11pm, Ms Ballentyne went upstairs to change while Bartlett was left alone with Atticus in the living room to feed him. Row told jurors that Bartlett "would have been disinhibited and therefore more cavalier in his handling of Atticus" and "potentially less tolerant, less patient, less able to control his temper and frustration."

It was alleged that during the short period Ms Ballentyne was upstairs, Bartlett violently shook Atticus, causing severe internal injuries to the baby's brain and spinal cord. Atticus also sustained three rib fractures that could not be attributed to resuscitation efforts.

Ms Ballentyne gave evidence that she came downstairs to hear Atticus making two loud gasps, as if he was dying. Row told the court: "Mr Bartlett can't admit to himself that when he was drunk, in a moment of pure violence, he did something that he will regret for the rest of his life." Throughout the trial, Bartlett maintained he had not harmed his son.

Verdict met with tears in the public gallery

Bartlett, appearing by videolink from the dock at Bristol Magistrates' Court, sobbed loudly when the verdict was read out. Members of Atticus's family gasped and wept in the public gallery of courtroom two.

Mr Justice Cavanagh remanded Bartlett into custody and is due to sentence him on 24 July. The judge stated: "There is only one sentence for murder, which is a life sentence. I have to fix a minimum sentence before the defendant can be considered for release." He also thanked jurors for the "care and attention" they had given the case, saying they had served "magnificently", and released them from jury service for the next five years.

Bartlett, formerly a postman, is of Axminster, Devon.

Police: 'a violent and cruel act'

Detective Superintendent Lorett Spierenburg said after the hearing: "This is a devastating case in which a very young baby has lost his life as the direct result of a violent and cruel act. The loss of Atticus has had a profound effect on all those who loved him."

Spierenburg added that Bartlett had been alone with Atticus when the catastrophic injuries were inflicted, and that medical evidence gathered during the investigation proved he was solely responsible, "despite his claims of innocence."

"Our thoughts are very much with Atticus's family who've had to endure a lengthy and complex police investigation, followed by a trial. They've shown great dignity and courage throughout," Spierenburg said.

Source: Daily Express