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British aristocrat Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon have been convicted over the death of their newborn child, who died while they lived in rough and freezing conditions.
The couple went on the run when Marten was heavily pregnant with their fifth child in December 2022, in a bid to evade social services.
Authorities previously took four of their children into care following concerns for their wellbeing, and had warned the couple about the dangers of living in a tent with a baby.
- Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were convicted of gross negligence manslaughter for the death of their newborn daughter Victoria.
- The couple hid Victoria while living rough in freezing conditions after fleeing social services.
- Despite Marten’s trust fund, they avoided using money, lived off-grid while starving, yet spent thousands avoiding police.
- The couple’s four other children were taken into care following past abuse and neglect concerns.
Mark Gordon and Constance Marten were convicted of the death of their daughter
Image credits: Metropolitan Police Handout via Getty Images
They were found guilty of the gross negligence manslaughter of their daughter Victoria, following a re-trial at the Old Bailey in London.
On trial last year, Gordon, 51, and Marten, 38, were convicted of child cruelty, concealing the birth of a child, and perverting the course of justice by not reporting the death of their baby.
Victoria, believed to be just weeks old, was found hidden under rubbish and soil inside a Lidl shopping bag inside an allotment shed in Brighton, East Sussex, on March 1, 2023—just days after the couple was arrested on February 27.
Image credits: Leon Neal/Getty Images
Marten gave birth in secret, and police only learned of Victoria’s existence when they were called to a car fire on the M61 freeway near Bolton on January 5, 2023.
The couple fled with Victoria before help could arrive, but police discovered a placenta in the burnt-out vehicle, and a massive search operation was launched over welfare concerns.
While Marten had a trust fund with thousands of pounds, the couple insisted on living off-grid without using bank cards to the point of starvation.
Image credits: Metropolitan Police Handout via Getty Images
But they spent thousands while traveling in taxis hundreds of miles daily to avoid being caught by police, failing to provide adequate clothing for their daughter, prosecutors said.
Marten and Gordon eventually made their way to East Sussex and settled in the South Downs National Park in a tent on January 8.
They had little food or possessions, and when spotted on CCTV by witnesses, Victoria was wearing just a babygrow without socks or a hat.
A massive search was launched to trace the couple and baby Victoria
The newborn didn’t even have a blanket, despite it being during the freezing winter.
While it is not known exactly when Victoria was born or died, prosecutors believe she was alive for several weeks before dying of hypothermia.
Marten and Gordon were arrested on February 27 in Brighton after sleeping in rough conditions for two months.
They refused to answer any questions about Victoria until her body was found days later.
Image credits: Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images
Prosecutors say that throughout the trial, the pair attempted to frustrate and delay proceedings.
When they were convicted, Gordon shouted: “I’m not surprised by the verdict. It was faulty, it was unlawful. This is not over, it has just begun,” according to the Daily Mail.
It was also revealed that Gordon was convicted of the rape of a woman in the U.S. when he was just 14 in 1989 and served 22 years in prison before being sent back to the U.K.
He met Marten in 2016 and the pair married in an unofficial ceremony in Peru.
Then, in 2017, when Marten gave birth to their first child under a false name at a hospital in Wales, he assaulted two female police officers at the maternity unit and was convicted.
Their four children were removed from their care when a suspected domestic assault incident in 2019 left Marten with a shattered spleen.
Marten, whose family has links to the British royal family, shouted, “It’s a scam” as she was convicted on Monday, the Daily Mail reported.
It is believed around £1.5 million was spent trying to track down the couple in an effort that involved more than 100 police officers across multiple forces.
The couple were also granted legal aid for their trial, despite Marten’s estimated worth being around £2.4 million, according to the Daily Mail.
Senior Crown Prosecutor Samantha Yelland welcomed their conviction.
“Their reckless actions were driven by a selfish desire to keep their baby no matter the cost—resulting in her tragic death,” she said.
“These defendants did everything they could to evade the authorities – from avoiding the use of their bank cards to the point that they were starving, ditching their phones to avoid being traced and traveling hundreds of miles daily from place to place to dodge the police.
“The prosecution case included CCTV evidence, witness testimony of the couples’ whereabouts together with a combination of pathological and medical evidence which showed the extent of their neglect.”
The couple will be sentenced on September 15.
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