A U.K. pastor is facing a criminal charge stemming from a 2023 incident in which a parishioner drowned during a baptism ceremony. Cheryl Bartley of Life Changing Ministries, 48, faces one count of gross negligence manslaughter for the death of Robert Smith.
Life Changing Ministries describes itself as a “ministry that will change your life for the better spiritual and physical by the power of the holy spirit (sic), healing and deliverance well (sic) definitely take place, you will experience the presence of God.”
Smith, 61, died during a baptism ceremony on Oct. 28, 2023, at a home in Birmingham.
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The ceremony was being held in a child’s wading pool in the backyard of a home and was being livestreamed on Facebook.
The video was cut during the ceremony and has since been taken down. According to New York Post, Bartley subsequently posted a video in which she said she had a vision of Smith “dancing with Jesus.”
Emergency services were called during the incident, but Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. A medical examination revealed the he died by drowning.
Smith reportedly suffered from Parkinson’s Disease.
Smith was previously baptized but wanted to be baptized again as a “born-again believer.” He was reportedly from Jamaica but had lived in the U.K. for more than 20 years. He was also a grandfather who left behind seven grandchildren.
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Malcolm McHaffie, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s special crime division, told the BBC that investigators had worked closely with West Midlands Police.
