Tony Bartlett, 39, of Axminster, Devon, has been jailed for life with a minimum of 18 years for the murder of his four-week-old son, Atticus. The baby died in hospital after collapsing at the family home in Chard, Somerset, on July 16, 2022.
Attack while intoxicated
Following a trial at Bristol Crown Court, a jury found that Bartlett violently shook Atticus, causing severe internal injuries to the baby’s brain and spinal cord. Mr Justice Cavanagh described Bartlett as “very drunk” at the time of the attack, stating: “I have no doubt that this terrible tragedy would not have happened if you were not so heavily intoxicated.”
Details of the incident
The court heard that Bartlett, a former postman, had been feeding Atticus with a bottle when the baby began bringing up milk. The judge said: “In your drunken state, Atticus’s inability to take the bottle as well as you thought he should enraged you. You had a sudden fit of anger. You vented that anger on your tiny baby son. You shook him very violently indeed, gripping him very tightly round his ribcage.”
The attack lasted only a few seconds or at most a minute, after which Bartlett stopped and fell asleep. During the trial, Charles Row KC stated that Bartlett had been “drunk and frustrated” when he attacked his newborn son.
