Dad murdered his four-week-old son after night out

A father has been found guilty of murdering his four-week-old son after returning home from a night out.

Tony Bartlett was convicted by a jury of causing fatal injuries to his son Atticus when he shook him at home in Chard, Somerset, on 16 July 2022. The jury heard the 39-year-old had drunk up to nine pints of beer before the attack.

Atticus was taken to hospital with serious injuries to his spinal cord and ribs, as well as brain damage so severe he never regained consciousness and was never able to breathe independently again. He died seven days later.

The judge told Bartlett, of Axminster in Devon, to expect to be given life in prison when he is sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on 24 July.

Warning: This story contains details which readers may find distressing.

During the trial, jurors heard how Bartlett and his then-partner Evelyn Ballentyne had gone to a pub and comedy club for their first evening out since their son's birth.

After they returned home, Ballentyne went upstairs and Bartlett was left alone to feed Atticus.

The court heard that when Ballentyne returned, she found her son looking "lifeless".

Giving evidence, she described hearing Atticus make two loud gasps as if he was dying.

Emergency services attended the property and Atticus was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital before being transferred to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, where he died just before midnight on 23 July 2022.

During the trial Bartlett, formerly a postman, insisted he had not harmed his son. His legal team suggested Ballentyne could have caused the fatal injuries.

She was initially arrested alongside Bartlett but was never charged and appeared as a prosecution witness during the trial.

"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," said Charles Row KC, prosecuting.

Medical experts told the court Atticus had sustained severe internal injuries to his brain and spinal cord. He also had three rib fractures that could not be attributed to resuscitation efforts.

The court heard how the attack on Atticus may have been over in seconds, but it left Atticus with injuries that were consistent with a car crash, or a fall from a height.

Members of Atticus' family gasped and wept in the court's public gallery after the verdict was read out.

Bartlett, appearing by videolink, sobbed loudly.

The judge thanked jurors for the care and attention they had given the case, and released them from jury service for the next five years.

Speaking after the jury returned its verdict, senior investigating officer Det Supt 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."