Dad Guilty of Murdering Four-Week-Old Son After Drinking 'Nine Pints' on Parents' First Night Out

A father who violently shook his four-week-old son after drinking up to nine pints of beer has been found guilty of murder. Tony Bartlett, 39, was convicted at Bristol Crown Court of killing baby Atticus at the family home in Chard, Somerset, in July 2022, just a month after the child was born.

The jury heard that Atticus suffered 'catastrophic' injuries while alone with his father after the couple's first night out since the baby's birth. Bartlett, a former postman from Axminster in Devon, denied harming his son, but medical experts said the force used was comparable to a high-speed car crash or a fall from height, and jurors concluded he was responsible.

Parents' First Night Out Ends In Tragedy

Jurors heard that on the evening of 16 July 2022, Bartlett and his then-partner, Evelyn Ballentyne, left Atticus with a relative while they went out drinking in Chard. By the time they returned home, Bartlett had consumed up to nine pints of beer.

Ballentyne went upstairs after they got back, leaving Bartlett to feed Atticus downstairs. When she returned a short time later, she found her son 'lifeless' and described hearing him make two loud gasps that sounded as if he was dying.

Paramedics took Atticus to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton before he was transferred to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. He never regained consciousness or breathed independently again, and died just before midnight on 23 July, seven days after the incident.

Expert Evidence On 'Catastrophic' Injuries

Medical experts told the court Atticus had suffered severe internal injuries to his brain and spinal cord, along with three rib fractures unrelated to resuscitation attempts. One consultant said the trauma resembled a high-speed car crash or a fall from height, despite the assault likely lasting only seconds.

Defence Points To Mother, But Case Focuses On Father

Bartlett denied harming his son throughout the trial, and his defence suggested Ballentyne could have caused the injuries, noting she had also been arrested early in the investigation.

She was later released without charge and testified for the prosecution. The jury heard that Bartlett was the only adult alone with Atticus when the injuries occurred, with no medical evidence pointing to anyone else.

Prosecutor Charles Row KC told jurors Bartlett could not face what he had done: '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.'

Bartlett maintained his innocence throughout. 'I have said from the start, if I had done it, I would have said so from the start,' he told the court, adding that alcohol 'doesn't affect his temper whatsoever.' The jury rejected his account and convicted him of murder.

Emotional Scenes As Judge Warns Of Life Term

Atticus's family reacted in the public gallery as the guilty verdict was read out. Bartlett, appearing by videolink, sobbed as the prospect of a life sentence was outlined.

The judge told him to expect life imprisonment when he is sentenced on 24 July, and thanked jurors for their care with the case, excusing them from further jury service for five years, an unusual gesture reflecting how difficult the evidence had been to hear.

Detective Superintendent Lorett Spierenburg called it 'a devastating case in which a very young baby has lost his life as the direct result of a violent and cruel act,' adding that Atticus's death had 'a profound effect on all those who loved him.'

She said the medical evidence made clear that 'Tony Bartlett was alone with Atticus when he suffered these catastrophic injuries' and was 'solely responsible for causing them, despite his claims of innocence.'