(Photo: Getty/iStock)
Cheryl Bartley, 48, the pastor of Life Changing Ministries has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter following the death of a man during a baptism.
Robert Smith, 61, died in Birmingham during the baptism ceremony, which was taking place in a paddling pool a back garden. The incident occurred on 8 October 2023.
Smith, who came from Jamaica, was pronounced dead at the scene by the emergency services.
The event was being live-streamed on Facebook, but the broadcast was terminated and the video subsequently removed.
Bartley is due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 14 May. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said she had been charged in relation to her role as a pastor during the baptism.
Malcolm McHaffie, head of the CPS’s special crime division, said, “We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against this defendant are active and that she has the right to a fair trial.
“It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
