Enraged father is jailed for 18 years for squeezing his four-week-old son to death when he wouldn’t drink his milk

A father who killed his young son was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum sentence of 18 years.

Tony Bartlett, 39, was found guilty on Friday of murdering his four-week-old son, Atticus Bartlett, in July 2022.

The child collapsed at the family home in Chard, Somerset, on July 16, 2022, after Bartlett violently shook the child in a ‘tantrum’ after failing to feed the baby.

Atticus tragically died five days later from severe internal injuries. It was stated that Bartlett was ‘very drunk’ at the time of the attack.

Bartlett, of Axminster, Devon, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years at Bristol Crown Court for the murder.

The court heard he and his then-partner, Atticus’ mother Evelyn Ballentyne, were at the bar and comedy club on the evening the boy died.

Mrs Ballentyne’s mother, Rachel Donovan, and her husband, Andrew Donovan, looked after Atticus at the family home in Darcis Row, Chard.

Throughout the evening, Bartlett drank eight and a half pints of beer before coming home. She was then left alone in the living room for ‘a few minutes’ to feed Atticus.

Bartlett was found guilty in July 2022 of murdering her young son Atticus during a ‘tantrum’ after failing to feed the baby.

Bartlett violently shook the baby, causing serious internal injuries to the child’s brain and spinal cord. He then ‘fell asleep’.

Mrs. Ballentyne went upstairs briefly and found Atticus lying face down on Bartlett’s lap. It was described as ‘floppy and lifeless’.

Atticus suffered severe brain damage and was unable to regain consciousness or breathe on his own.

Emergency services attended the property and Atticus was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital before being transferred to Bristol Royal Children’s Hospital.

The baby was pronounced dead just before midnight on July 23, 2022.

Mr Justice Cavanagh jailed Bartlett, a former postman, and He told the defendant that he was ‘very drunk’ when he carried out the fatal attack on Atticus.

He added: ‘If you had not been so drunk I have no doubt that this terrible tragedy would not have happened.’

The judge said Bartlett bottle-fed Atticus and the baby squeezed out the milk.

Bartlett was filmed talking to the police who arrested him in connection with his son’s murder

“In your drunken state, it must have angered you that Atticus didn’t get the bottle as much as you thought he would,” he added.

‘You threw a sudden tantrum. You took that anger out on your little son. You shook him really hard, held him really tight around his ribcage.

‘This only lasted a few seconds, about a minute at most. In that brief moment, you wanted to cause Atticus serious injury.

‘You stopped as suddenly as you started, your anger evaporated and then you fell asleep.’

During the hearing, Charles Row KC said Bartlett was ‘drunk and frustrated’ when he attacked his newborn son.

Mr Row told the court: ‘Evelyn Ballentyne went upstairs for a few minutes and left Atticus solely in the defendant’s care.

‘When he returned, Atticus was lying face down on the defendant’s lap.

‘He is dead, he is not breathing,’ he said. He noted that the defendant appeared to be asleep, or at least his eyes were closed.

Bartlett appeared at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday charged with murder and manslaughter over the death of his son Atticus.

Defendant flipped Atticus over. Atticus gasped twice and looked limp and lifeless.’

Experts told the court the injuries sustained by Atticus were related to ‘severe shaking’ and rib fractures were caused by ‘grasping and squeezing’ during the attack.

In a victim personal statement, Ms Ballentyne described how she suffered “severe anxiety” following Atticus’ death.

“I’ll never know what kind of person Atticus will turn out to be,” he said.

‘I will never see him reach his milestones. I’ll never see him go to school. ‘I’ll never get to see him grow up and have a family of his own.’

She continued: ‘Who is planning your baby’s funeral? Who goes to the church of rest?

‘I had to wait 11 hours and 18 minutes for Atticus to die. It was terrible. I was afraid to go out, I was afraid to stay inside.

‘I don’t enjoy any moment because I have a dead son. It is constantly mentally and emotionally draining. “This is very bad.”

His mother, Miss Donovan, told the court she wondered what Atticus would look like now and what toys he wanted to play with.

“I just want one more day with Atticus,” he said. I was glad Atticus was with me that night. He was loved, cuddled and had a lovely night with us.

‘I hope and pray that he never knows what happened to him.’

Nigel Power KC, representing Bartlett, said his client had previously been a ‘good and caring parent’ to his son.

“This is not a situation where there was intent or premeditation to kill,” Mr Power said.

Mr Justice Cavanagh had previously described Bartlett as a ‘loving parent’ and said he had no history of violence towards Atticus, although he was known to have a ‘fiery temper’.

He said: ‘Atticus should have had a long and happy life ahead of him. His life ended before it really began.

‘To begin with, I am certain that you did not intend to kill Atticus… But you did intend to cause him serious harm.’

“The key aggravating factors are the extreme youth and vulnerability of your victim and the gross abuse of trust involved in this offence,” he added.

‘No one is as defenseless and dependent on others as an innocent one-month-old baby; He cannot stand up alone.

“As Atticus’ father, you were one of the two people, more than anyone else, that he had the right to look to for love and protection.

You knew all along that you, and no one else, was responsible for Atticus’ injuries.

‘You probably immediately regretted what you did, but not to the extent that you were ready to admit it or express your regret.’

Detective Sergeant Sarah Bowden, of Avon and Somerset Police’s major crime investigation team, said: ‘Tony Bartlett was alone with Atticus when he suffered these horrific injuries and the medical evidence collected during the investigation proves that he was the sole person responsible for inflicting them, despite his claims of innocence.

‘This is a devastating case where a very young baby lost his life as a direct result of the cruel act of a man who was supposed to provide him with the protection and care he needed.

‘The loss of Atticus had a profound impact on everyone who loved him. Our thoughts are with Atticus’ family, who had to endure a long and complex police investigation followed by a trial. They showed great nobility and courage throughout.

‘Inquests such as this are extremely distressing and I would like to thank everyone who has provided evidence and supported our investigation to uncover the facts behind Atticus’ tragic death.’