Pastor Charged After Man Drowns While Being Baptized

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Don Arpeggio

Over all the years I have attended Baptism services, I have never heard or witnessed this.

A pastor is being charged after drowning an older man during a Baptism service.

The incident occurred at a church in the U.K., and the pastor involved in the drowning is being charged with manslaughter.

People had the full details on the tragic incident:

A pastor was charged with gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the drowning death of a man she baptized in 2023.

Cheryl Bartley of Life Changing Ministries was charged in connection with the death of Robert Smith, a London resident, who drowned in a kiddie pool in the backyard of a private home in Birmingham, England on Oct. 8, 2023, The Daily Telegraph reported, citing the U.K. Crown Prosecution Service.

Smith, who was 61, was pronounced dead at the scene of the baptism at 1:30 p.m. local time in 2023, the outlet reported, citing emergency services.

“We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against this defendant are active and that she has the right to a fair trial,” Malcolm McHaffie, head of the CPS’s special crime division, told the BBC. He added that they worked “closely” with West Midlands Police in the investigation.

“It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings,” McHaffie continued, per the BBC.

The baptism was allegedly livestreamed on Facebook, according to the Associated Press. Bartley, 48, will next appear in Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on May 14, per the outlet.

Here’s a photo of Bartley and the victim:

The New York Post reported that after the drowning occured Bartley claimed to see Smith with Jesus:

The pastor later recorded a video about the death — saying that she saw Smith in heaven, “dancing with Jesus,” according to the Telegraph.

She has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter — an offense which carries a sentence ranging between 1 and 18 years on average in the UK — and is set to appear in a Birmingham magistrates court on May 14.

Smith was originally from Jamaica but had lived in the UK for 25 years. He was a barber in Brixton, London, according to the Guardian.

He had already been baptized but wanted the new ceremony to become a “born-again believer,” the Telegraph reported.

How do you feel about it?

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