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 woman has been charged with manslaughter after a man died during a baptism ceremony in Birmingham.

Robert Smith, 61, from Brixton, south London, drowned during the ceremony, which took place at a home in Slade Road, Erdington, in 2023. The ceremony, which involved a paddling pool in a back garden, was filmed and livestreamed, with a congregation of about a dozen people looking on.