Father jailed for web surfing while son drowned

A Minnesota man who admitted surfing Internet porn sites while his 13-month-old son drowned in the bath has been jailed for a year.

A judge in the town of Willmar ordered Tyler Bratsch to write a letter of apology to the emergency workers and hospital staff who tried to save Logan.

The 25-year-old must also write a letter of apology to Logan every year for the next five years on the anniversary of his death, Judge Don Spilseth said. And if Bratsch has another child, he must attend parenting classes.

Bratsch’s wife Roberta had tearfully pleaded with the judge not to send him to prison, saying he had been punished enough.

Bratsch told police he put the boy in the bath at around 1:30pm and discovered him not breathing at 3:20pm. Court records showed Bratsch’s computer had been in continuous use for three hours until he found the boy.

Last month, he admitted manslaughter and said he visited pornographic, sports and music Websites and checked his e-mail while Logan was in the tub.

In addition to the prison sentence he was also fined $1,000 (€950) and must do 1,000 hours community service.