Man dies in baptism ceremony being live-streamed on Facebook

12 October 2023 , 12:48

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The man died in a "medical emergency" at a private address in Erdington, Birmingham, on Sunday (Image: Google)

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of a man during a baptism ceremony.

Emergency services rushed to a "medical emergency" at a private address in Erdington, Birmingham, on Sunday. A man in his 60s there, believed to have been taking part in the ceremony carried out by Life Changing Ministries in a small pool in the property's garden, died at the scene despite "advanced life support" being carried out. The baptism event was streamed live on the church's Facebook page, but the stream was cut during the event and the video later removed.

Since the tragedy, Cheryl Reid - who leads Life Changing Ministries Apostolic Church - said in a separate video posted on Facebook that Robert Yap, of the same church, had died. The Facebook post quotes Corinthians. It says: "We are confident I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." More than 1,700 comments follow the video, including emotional tributes to Mr Yap and kinds messages of support to his family.

Mr Reid says in the clip Mr Yap travelled to Birmingham to be baptised, adding he had lived with Parkinson's Disease and been a member for four years. Followers have been urged to fast and pray "for the ministry, for apostle [Cheryl Reid-Bartley] herself and for our faithful members".

West Midlands Police confirmed it has arrested a 46-year-old woman on suspicion of manslaughter. A spokeswoman for the force said: “A woman has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after a man in his 60s died in Erdington on Sunday. A post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course to establish the cause of the man’s death, while detectives carry out enquiries into the circumstances surrounding his death. A 46-year-old woman who was arrested in Birmingham yesterday has been released on police bail while enquiries continue."

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West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called about 1:40pm on Sunday to a medical emergency involving a man at a private address on Slade Road, a main road which runs through part of Erdington and south to the Gravelly Hill part of the city. A spokesperson said: "Staff administered advanced life support to him, but unfortunately, despite the best efforts of ambulance staff, it became clear that nothing more could be done to save him." He was confirmed dead at the scene.

Bradley Jolly