A man has been convicted of murdering his four-week-old baby son by shaking him in a “violent and cruel act”.
Tony Bartlett, 39, previously denied murder and manslaughter of his son Atticus Bartlett, who died in hospital after collapsing at his family home in Chard, Somerset, on July 16 2022.
A jury at Bristol Crown Court unanimously convicted Bartlett, formerly a postman, of murder yesterday afternoon and remanded him into custody to be sentenced on July 24.
Mr Justice Cavanagh said: “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.”
Members of the family gasped and wept in the public gallery of courtroom two after the verdict was read out, with Bartlett sobbing loudly over video link.
The judge thanked jurors for the “care and attention” they had given the case, adding that they had served “magnificently”.
“It is clear that you have given this very important case the detailed consideration that it deserves,” he added, releasing them from jury service for the next five years.
Prosecuting, Charles Row KC said Bartlett had been “drunk and frustrated” when he shook his newborn son in an attack that lasted mere seconds.
Baby Atticus suffered severe internal injuries to his brain and spinal cord at the hands of Tony Bartlett
|
AVON AND SOMERSET POLICE
Bartlett and his then-partner Evelyn Ballentyne, Atticus’s mother, had gone to a pub and comedy club that evening, with Ms Ballentyne’s mother Rachel Donovan and her husband Andrew caring for Atticus while his parents were out.
Over the evening, Bartlett drank 8.5 pints of lager before returning home, left alone to feed Atticus in the living room while Ms Ballentyne went upstairs to change at about 11pm.
Mr Row said: “He would have been disinhibited and therefore more cavalier in his handling of Atticus. He would have been potentially less tolerant, less patient, less able to control his temper and frustration.”
It was said that in the short period of time that Ms Ballentyne was upstairs, Bartlett violently shook Atticus, causing severe internal injuries to the baby’s brain and spinal cord.
Atticus sustained three rib fractures, which could not be attributed to resuscitation efforts.
Giving evidence, Ms Ballentyne described coming downstairs and hearing Atticus making two loud gasps as if he was dying.
“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,” Mr Row told jurors.
During the trial, Bartlett insisted he had not harmed his son, with his legal team suggesting Ms Ballentyne could have caused the fatal injuries.
Tony Bartlett, of Axminster, Devon, will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on July 24
|
AVON AND SOMERSET POLICE
She was initially arrested alongside Bartlett but was never charged and appeared as a prosecution witness during the trial.
Emergency services attended the property and Atticus was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital before being transferred to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
His brain damage was so severe he did not regain consciousness or breathe for himself and sadly died just before midnight on July 23, 2022.
After the hearing, Detective Superintendent Lorett Spierenburg said: “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.
“Tony Bartlett was alone with Atticus when he suffered these catastrophic injuries and the medical evidence gathered during the investigation proves he was solely responsible for causing them, 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.”
Bartlett, of Axminster, Devon, will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on July 24.