Extraordinary footage shows grandfather who died at baptism ceremony lying face down in paddling pool for at least five minutes as pastor and congregation seemingly fail to notice
An extraordinary video has emerged showing the moment a grandfather died during a baptism in a paddling pool, with the pastor and congregation apparently unaware.
Footage taken in the garden showed Robert Smith’s body floating face down in the water for at least five minutes.
The clip shows the 61-year-old Parkinson’s sufferer floating beneath the surface of the water as Christian pastor Cheryl Reid-Bartley continues to pray and sing.
A congregation of at least a dozen people watch and no one appears to see Mr. Smith slip beneath the surface and lie still during the ceremony, which took place earlier this month.
The baptism was filmed in the back garden of a private address in Erdington, Birmingham, by Life Changing Ministries and streamed live on the church’s Facebook page, although the feed was cut and the post later deleted.
Robert Smith, pictured, died during a baptism in Birmingham on October 8 after drowning in a paddling pool
Mr Smith, who had Parkinson’s, traveled to Birmingham specifically to take part in the naming ceremony, the family said
A shorter clip, released last week, showed Mr Smith, dressed all in white, visibly shaking as he was led into the pool by Ms Reid-Bartley, who stroked his back and spoke to him before dunking him under the water . The spectators beat tambourines and sang.
However, MailOnline has obtained the full recording which moments later shows Mr Smith floating on his side and face down in the pool.
It appears he struggled to keep his head above water for two minutes, but then slipped underwater, where he lay for at least four minutes and fifty seconds.
Before the recording was finished, onlookers were seen around the pool, just a few feet away from Mr. Smith, but none of them seemed to see the tragedy that was unfolding.
A younger man who was baptized at the same time was lifted out of the water by Mrs Reid-Bartley, who told him: ‘After today you must bear witness to what you have seen… the Lord says you cannot keep that. quiet.’
As she said these words, she looked at Mr. Smith, whose body was completely submerged in five feet of water and was not moving.
The livestream was subsequently stopped.
Emergency services were called to the address shortly after 1.30pm on Sunday, October 8 and Mr Smith was given ‘advanced life support’ but was pronounced dead at the scene.
Footage from a livestream of the ceremony shows the pastor and congregation continuing with the baptisms as Mr. Smith’s body lies there
One person is seen in the water next to Mr Smith, who is lying face down and not moving
Originally from Jamaica, Mr Smith had seven grandchildren – with another on the way –. He had lived in Britain for at least 25 years, settling in Brixton, South London, where he worked as a hairdresser.
He had already been baptized as a teenager, but wanted a second ceremony to become a “born again believer.”
A friend told MailOnline: ‘Robert was a wonderful man, someone you could always confide in.
“He had family spread all over Jamaica, Britain and the United States. His relatives warned him not to be baptized a second time since he was 61 years old and suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
‘But he had become involved with Life Changing Ministries and wanted to be a born-again believer, so much so that he traveled all the way from his home in South London to Birmingham for the ceremony.
“Some family members and friends watched what happened on Facebook. It’s incredible that none of the fourteen or so people who were there seemed to have noticed him going underwater and staying there for so long.”
MailOnline has spoken to relatives in Jamaica but they declined to comment until the police investigation is complete, although one said briefly: ‘I pray that the police do a thorough investigation into what happened because we need answers.’
Following Mr Smith’s death, Ms Reid-Bartley posted a nearly hour-long message on the Life Changing Ministries Facebook group last week, saying she had spoken to him ‘in heaven’ after he ‘passed away’.
She said, “I didn’t know the plans God made. This man wanted to secure his place in heaven. He and the Lord had a conversation.
Mrs. Reid-Bartley, the founder of Life Changing Ministries, describes herself as an ‘apostle’
In a 54-minute video on her Facebook page, Ms Reid-Bartley claimed Mr Smith had a ‘glimpse of heaven’ during his baptism
Ms Reid-Bartley then claimed she saw Mr Smith dancing in heaven with Jesus
‘I went to my room to take off my wet clothes. And Jesus came and sat down with me. He didn’t even say anything.
“I was immediately taken to heaven when I saw Robert Yap. This has never happened to me before, that someone has just died. He is young, he is dancing with Jesus in the garden.’
Ms Reid-Bartley claimed Mr Smith had a ‘glimpse of heaven’ and ‘didn’t want to come back, he just died’.
West Midlands Ambulance Service sent two vehicles, a paramedic and a Midlands Air Ambulance intensive care car, but despite their best efforts they were unable to revive him.
A spokesperson said: ‘A post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course to determine the man’s cause of death while detectives investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.
‘A 46-year-old woman arrested in Birmingham yesterday has been released on bail while inquiries continue.’