Pastor charged over drowning of man at baptism ceremony in Birmingham

Cheryl Bartley is charged with gross negligence manslaughter after 2023 death of Robert Smith, 61

A pastor has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter after the drowning of a 61-year-old man at a baptism ceremony in Birmingham in 2023, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Robert Smith, from Brixton in south London, died at an address in Erdington on 8 October 2023. Malcolm McHaffie, the head of the special crime division, said: We have decided to prosecute Cheryl Bartley, 48, with one count of gross negligence manslaughter in relation to her role as a pastor during a baptism.