British aristocrat and rapist guilty of the death of her baby

British aristocrat and rapist guilty of the death of her baby

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon showed both warm and caring sides as parents if they wanted it. A family judge described their interactions with the children as "excellent" and found that the two were able to act in a "loving and attentive way". But a top -class court case that shocked even experienced lawyers revealed a different picture: a couple who were obsessed with each other and suspicious of external authorities that they failed to take care of their own child.

judgment and background

This week Marten and Gordon were convicted of manslaughter after her newborn daughter Victoria was found dead in a shopping bag in an unused shed. The verdict will take place this year. The police discovered Victoria's body on March 1, 2023, just two days after her parents were arrested after a 53-day search. Marten and Gordon had traveled across the United Kingdom with their newborn and had slept in a tent despite the cold winter conditions to escape the authorities. They were convinced that Victoria would be taken away after their previous four children had been taken care of, as the Metropolitan Police London announced in a statement after the judgment. The nationwide search and the subsequent legal proceedings captivate Great Britain, not least because of Martens wealthy background and Gordon's violent criminal past.

the relationship

Marten, 38, grew up in a wealthy, aristocratic family with connections to the royal family. She received private school education, traveled to Africa and worked as a journalist for Al Jazera. She met Gordon, whom she called her "soul mate", in 2014 in a incense shop in North London. The public prosecutor stated that they have been a couple since 2016. Gordon, who is 51 years old and 13 years older than Marten, has a "significant criminal history that includes serious sexual violence", which he committed as a teenager.

The family tragedy

Court documents show that Gordon was condemned in Florida in 1989 for armed sexual assault, armed kidnapping, kidnapping and burglary with a fatal weapon. He spent 22 years in prison and was released in 2010. The couple's relationship was shaped by domestic violence, as the documents of a family judge in London showed before Victoria's body was found. In 2019, when Marten was pregnant with the third child, Gordon pushed her out of a window during a dispute, which led to "serious injuries". The documents stated that Gordon was not looking for medical help and "put their lives and that of the unborn child in danger".

the escape

In January 2022, a judge found that the couple put their relationship "in front of all other considerations", including the health of their children, and ordered their four children to be given the care of the authorities. At the end of December 2022, when Marten was Hoch -pregnant with her fifth child, they went to escape. At the beginning of January 2023, the police started a nationwide search for Gordon and Marten in the north of England after a placenta was found in a burned -out car on a highway. The car was "completely burned out" and still had remains of diapers and ceilings on board, reported the Greater Manchester Police.

detective work and the find of Victoria

In the following days the couple traveled through the country and made several stops before it was arrived in Newhaven, a coastal town on the English Channel. Most of them traveled with taxis and paid hundreds of pounds per trip. At the time of her arrest, Marten had around £ 19,000 (approx. $ 25,000) on her bank account, as was reported. Video monitoring from a hotel in Harwich, Essex, where the couple stayed on January 6th, showed a baby under Martens coat. The next day the couple was seen when buying a stroller, but was too big for the newborn Victoria. They threw the stroller into a alley and put the baby in a shopping bag.

The tragic end

The couple spent several times in the following weeks. On January 16, they were seen in a tent in a nature reserve near Brighton. In this area, the temperatures often fell below freezing. They lived in the tent for more than a month, while the social workers had pointed out that it was "completely unsuitable" for a baby to live in a tent. On February 27, 2023, they were arrested in a shop in Brighton after a sighting. Baby Victoria was no longer found.

judicial judgment and reactions

Reporting on the process of the couple on Old Bailey in London describes the negotiations as chaotic. The accused repeatedly caused disorders in the courtroom and often did not appear to be negotiated. Judge Mark Lucraft noticed that he had never had a "attitude" like that of Gordon and Marten before. After the judgment, they were unanimously convicted of homicide for gross negligence. According to the CPS, Marten and Gordon showed little remorse for their actions and used various tricks to sabotage and delay the judicial procedures.

"I just feel very sad. This is such a tragic loss of life," said Det. Insp. Dave Sinclair, who initially reacted to the reports about the burned -out car that had triggered the search for Victoria. "There were enough opportunities for them to find help and take care of the baby's welfare." This tragic story underlines the hopeless situation in which the family was.