FATHER JAILED 18 YEARS FOR MURDERING FOUR-WEEK-OLD SON

Tony Bartlett has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years for murdering his four-week-old son, Atticus Bartlett. A jury at Bristol Crown Court found that Bartlett, 39, from Axminster, Devon, violently shook the infant, causing severe internal injuries to the baby's brain and spinal cord. Atticus collapsed at the family home in Chard, Somerset, on 16 July 2022 and died in hospital. Bartlett was formerly employed as a postman.

The attack occurred after Bartlett and Atticus's mother, Evelyn Ballentyne, returned home from a pub and comedy club. Bartlett had consumed 8.5 pints of lager that evening. Ms Ballentyne had briefly left Atticus in Bartlett's sole care whilst she went upstairs. Upon returning, she found the infant lying face down across Bartlett's lap and unresponsive. During sentencing, Mr Justice Cavanagh stated that Bartlett's intoxication was a significant factor, saying the baby's difficulty taking the bottle had provoked sudden anger.

The judge told Bartlett he had shaken Atticus "very violently indeed, gripping him very tightly round his ribcage" for only seconds or a minute before stopping, after which he fell asleep. The judge expressed no doubt that the fatal attack would not have occurred had Bartlett not been heavily intoxicated. The prosecution submitted that Bartlett had been "drunk and frustrated" when he attacked his newborn son.