A man has been found guilty of murder for fatally shaking his four-week-old infant son. Tony Bartlett, 39, residing in Axminster, Devon, caused severe harm to his baby named Atticus through an act of extreme violence by shaking him at their residence in Chard, as revealed during a trial at Bristol Crown Court.
The court proceedings disclosed that Atticus sustained critical internal injuries to his brain and spinal cord on July 16, 2022, leading to his death at the hospital seven days later. Additionally, the infant suffered three rib fractures that were unrelated to resuscitation attempts.
Following a four-week trial at Bristol Crown Court, a jury convicted Bartlett of murder. He will face sentencing later this month. Despite denying charges of manslaughter and murder, Bartlett reacted emotionally, holding his head in his hands and crying upon hearing the verdict.
Evelyn Ballentyne, Bartlett’s former partner and Atticus’ mother, was initially detained but later treated as a witness without facing criminal charges. She provided testimony during Bartlett’s trial.
According to the trial proceedings, Bartlett and Ms. Ballentyne had gone out for the evening to a pub and comedy club, marking their first night out since the birth of Atticus. Ms. Ballentyne’s parents, Rachel Donovan and Andrew, babysat at the family’s residence in Chard, Somerset.
It was revealed in court that Bartlett consumed 8.5 pints of beer over the course of the evening before returning home with Ms. Ballentyne just before 11 pm. Prosecutor Charles Row KC suggested that Bartlett’s outburst of anger and frustration was likely exacerbated by the influence of alcohol.
Ms. Ballentyne briefly left Bartlett with Atticus on the sofa while she went upstairs to remove her makeup. Upon returning downstairs, she noticed that the infant, still on Bartlett’s lap, appeared to struggle to breathe. She described the baby as limp and grey, attempting to wake him up by shaking him as he seemed unresponsive.
Subsequently, she raised the alarm, screaming for help while trying to revive the baby. The court heard that she handed the baby back to Bartlett as she sought assistance from neighbors.