Tony Bartlett, a 39-year-old postman from Axminster, Devon, has been photographed for the first time amid ongoing legal proceedings where he faces accusations of shaking his four-week-old son, Atticus Bartlett, leading to the infant’s tragic death.
Atticus collapsed at the family home in Chard on July 16, 2022, and died in hospital shortly after, on July 23. Medical evidence presented at Bristol Crown Court reveals that the baby suffered severe brain and spinal cord injuries, along with multiple cracked ribs, attributed to violent shaking.
The prosecution alleges Bartlett inflicted these injuries while alone with Atticus. On the evening in question, Atticus had been cared for by his grandmother, Rachel Donovan, and her husband before Bartlett and the infant’s mother, Ms. Ballentyne, went to a pub and comedy club. Bartlett reportedly consumed up to nine pints of beer that night.
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While Bartlett fed Atticus, Ms. Ballentyne went upstairs to change around 11 pm. It is during this time that the prosecution claims Bartlett violently shook the infant. Atticus was later rushed to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, then transferred to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, where he never regained consciousness.
In court, Ms. Ballentyne recounted discovering Atticus lying floppy and grey-faced on Bartlett’s knees, supporting claims of harm. Defense counsel Nigel Power KC suggested she may have downplayed her own actions, a claim she firmly denied. When asked directly if Bartlett had harmed Atticus, she responded, “Yes he did.”
Bartlett denies charges of murder and manslaughter, and the trial is ongoing.