A MAN drowned after he was allegedly dunked twice in a garden pool during a botched baptism in a back garden, it has been claimed.
A church minister has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after the ceremony in Erdington, Birmingham.
Stockland Green Methodist Church later removed the footage from their site
The tragedy on the outskirts of the city has shocked neighbours of the 46-year-old mum-of-two suspect.
One local said: “She is an amazing lady, very kind and loving, who would never intentionally harm or hurt anyone.”
The woman, who has been freed on bail after being quizzed by cops, is said to be “devastated” over the death of the man in his 60s.
He is understood to have travelled hundreds of miles for the special private service.
The victim, named in social media posts by the woman as Robert Yap, died during a ceremony live-streamed on Facebook.
He died at the minister’s property on Sunday afternoon.
The man, who is believed to have suffered from Parkinson’s disease, was given advanced life support at the scene but could not be saved.
Footage of the live-streamed event was later removed from the website of Stockland Green Methodist Church.
The minister – who cannot be named for legal reasons – is a hairdresser.
It was the first pool baptism the woman had conducted, a neighbour said.
The local businesswoman told The Sun Online: “We heard the man died.
“She had put a small pool in the garden behind her first-floor flat.
“It was a raised pool, not sunken, and the man apparently went full-clothed into it, standing up for the baptism.
“She is understood to have submerged his head backwards in the water as part of the ceremony.”
The neighbour added: “It is tragic that a man has died and he came from many miles away to be baptised.
“We heard he had Parkinson’s disease so that may have had something to do with his death.
“Everyone is posting on social media locally and there is a photo of the pool in one post.
“I can’t see the pool from my place because the view of the garden is blocked, but I know she had one there.”
The neighbour described the suspect as “so lovely and friendly”, adding: “She always says, ‘God bless you, may the Lord be with you’.
“I see her and her husband on a daily basis but haven’t seen them for the past few days. They will be devastated by this.
“Everyone is shocked by her arrest – it seems to be a tragic, freak accident.
“I’ve not spoken to her since she was released but I’ve heard she’s devastated the man’s death and she’s been in floods of tears.
“Nobody around here has a bad word to say about her.”
Another local described the mum, who works daily at a hair salon but has not been seen there this week, as a “very sweet lady”.
Rehman Khan, who runs phone shop Fone Klub, said: “Everyone is very shocked by what happened.
“I have known her and her family for three years – she is a very sweet lady and a good person.
“I don’t know who the man is but he died during a baptism.
“My shop was closed on Sunday so I had no clue what had happened but I’m told there was a big police presence and a woman was arrested.”
Police and ambulance crews were called to the property on Sunday shortly before 1.45pm.
Two ambulances, a paramedic and a critical car attended.
A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 1.42pm on Sunday to a medical emergency at a private address on Slade Road in Stockland Green, Birmingham. Upon arrival we found a man.
“Ambulance 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 and he was confirmed deceased at the scene.”
A West Midlands Police spokesperson 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.”
The tragic ceremony was being live-streamed by a church in Birmingham
Neighbours have described the manslaughter suspect as an ‘amazing lady’ Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
