A man who drowned during a baptism was suffering from Parkinson’s and was under water for four minutes, a court heard.
Robert Smith died during the Christian ceremony held in the back garden of a private address in Birmingham in October 2023.
Pastor Cheryl Bartley, 48, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter and appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
The case had to be moved to a bigger courtroom to accommodate 40 of her followers and family members. Bartley, dressed in a sky-blue suit, did not enter a plea.
Prosecutor Satinder Ruck said the matter would have to be sent to the Crown Court for future
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