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An extraordinary video has emerged showing the moment a grandfather died during a baptism in a paddling pool while the pastor and congregation appeared not to notice.
Robert Smith’s body could be seen floating face down in the water for at least five minutes in footage taken in the garden.
The clip shows the 61-year-old Parkinson’s sufferer floating beneath the surface of the water while Christian minister Cheryl Reid-Bartley continues to pray and sing.
A congregation of at least 12 people stood vigil with no one appearing to see Mr Smith slip beneath the surface and remain motionless 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 broadcast live on the church’s Facebook page, although the feed was cut and the post subsequently deleted .
Robert Smith, pictured, died at a christening in Birmingham on October 8 after drowning in a paddling pool.
Mr Smith, who has Parkinson’s disease, traveled to Birmingham specifically to take part in the naming ceremony, his 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. Those watching beat tambourines and sang.
However, MailOnline has obtained the full recording which shows Mr Smith moments later floating sideways and face down in the pool.
He appeared to struggle for two minutes to keep his head above the surface, then slipped underwater where he remained for at least four minutes and 50 seconds.
Before the recording ended, spectators gathered around the pool, just meters from Mr. Smith, but none of them appeared to see the tragedy unfolding.
A younger man who was being baptized at the same time was lifted out of the water by Mrs. Reid-Bartley who told him: “After today you will have to testify about what you saw…the Lord says that you can’t keep quiet.’
As she said these words, she looked at Mr. Smith whose body was completely submerged in two and a half feet of water and was not moving.
The live broadcast was then interrupted.
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 live broadcast of the ceremony shows the pastor and congregation continuing the baptisms while Mr Smith’s body lies there.
A person is seen lying in the water next to Mr Smith, who is face down and not moving.
Originally from Jamaica, Mr Smith had seven grandchildren – with another on the way – and had lived in the UK for at least 25 years, settling in Brixton, south London, where he worked as a barber.
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 an extraordinary man, someone you could always confide in.
“He had family all over Jamaica, the UK and the US. His relatives advised him not to be baptized a second time because he was 61 years old and suffered from Parkinson’s disease.
“But he had become involved in life-changing ministries and wanted to be a born-again believer, so much so that he traveled to Birmingham from his home in south London for the ceremony.
“Some of his relatives and friends were watching what was happening on Facebook. It’s amazing that no one of the 14 or so people there seemed to notice him go underwater and stay there for so long.
MailOnline spoke to relatives in Jamaica, but they declined to comment until the police investigation was complete, although one said briefly: “I pray that the police will carry out a thorough investigation into what happened because we need answers.”
After Mr. Smith’s death, Ms. Reid-Bartley posted a nearly hour-long message last week on the Facebook group Life Changing Ministries in which she said she had spoken with him “in heaven” after his ” death “.
She said: “I didn’t know the plans God had made. This man wanted to secure his place in heaven. He and the Lord had a conversation.
Ms. Reid-Bartley, founder of Life Changing Ministries, describes herself as an “apostle.”
In a 54-minute video posted on her Facebook page, Ms Reid-Bartley claimed that during his baptism Mr Smith had a “glimpse of heaven”.
Ms Reid-Bartley then claimed she saw Mr Smith in heaven “dancing with Jesus”.
“I went up to my room to change out of my wet clothes. And Jesus came to me and sat down with me. He didn’t even say anything.
“I was immediately transported to heaven to see Robert Yap. This has never happened to me before, that someone has just died. He is young, he dances with Jesus in the garden.
Ms Reid-Bartley claimed Mr Smith had had a “glimpse of heaven” and “didn’t want to come back, he just passed away”.
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 resuscitate him.
A spokesperson said: “A post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course to establish the man’s cause of death, while detectives carry out an investigation into the circumstances of his death.
“A 46-year-old woman who was arrested in Birmingham yesterday has been released on police bail while investigations continue.”