🔴 CONSTANCE MARTEN & MARK GORDON GUILTY OF BABY DEATH COVER-UP

Runaway aristocrat Constance Marten and her rapist partner Mark Gordon have been convicted of the manslaughter of their newborn daughter Victoria, following a retrial at the Old Bailey. The couple, who were previously found guilty of child cruelty, concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice, went on the run in a desperate attempt to prevent their child being taken into care — just as their four older children had been removed by court order.

The jury heard that Marten, 38, a trust fund heiress from an aristocratic lineage closely connected to the Royal Family, and Gordon, 50, a convicted rapist with a history of extreme violence, evaded authorities for nearly two months during a £1.2 million police manhunt across the UK. The pair had disappeared after their car caught fire on the M61 near Bolton on 5 January 2023, with a placenta found in the boot. From there, they used taxis to travel to Liverpool, Harwich, East London and eventually the South Downs, where they camped in freezing conditions with their newborn.

Victoria died during this period, likely from hypothermia, exposure or co-sleeping, in a tent not fit for human habitation. The couple, arrested near Brighton in late February, refused to say where the baby’s body was. It was eventually discovered dumped in a Lidl 'Bag for Life' inside a disused shed, hidden beneath rubbish and discarded packaging. Over 1,000 police officer hours and five forces were involved in locating the child’s remains.

Following two trials, that cost the taxpayer an estimated £1.6million, reporting restrictions have now been lifted and it can be revealed that:

• Gordon is a ‘sociopathic’ rapist whose sadistic crimes were compared to the American serial killer Ted Bundy.

• A national safeguarding panel is now looking at the landmark case as police have called for new laws to protect unborn children;

• The couple were granted legal aid for their defence, hiring 19 lawyers to defend them at an estimated cost of £600,000 - yet she is a trust fund heiress worth £2.4million;

• Gordon attempted to avoid trial, claiming he was more notorious than Wayne Couzens, the Scotland Yard police firearms officer who murdered Sarah Everard.

Gordon, who had concealed the full extent of his criminal history from Marten until after their spiritual marriage in Peru in 2016, had previously been convicted in the US of two violent attacks — including the knife-point rape of a woman in 1989 when he was just 14.

During that attack, he held a blade to the victim’s throat and told her to say goodbye to her children. He was later deported back to the UK after serving two decades of a 40-year sentence. The sentencing judge in that case was warned by the victim that Gordon would only “destroy more lives.”

After returning to the UK, Gordon continued his violent behaviour. He assaulted police officers and later threw Marten — while pregnant — from a flat window, causing life-threatening injuries. A family court subsequently ruled that all four of their children should be taken into care for their protection. The court concluded there was a significant risk of future violence and warned that the children would be exposed to harm if allowed to remain with their parents.

Despite being the beneficiary of a £2.4 million trust fund, Marten received legal aid, hiring 19 defence lawyers at an estimated cost of £600,000. The total cost of both trials, including the police search and prosecution, is believed to exceed £1.6 million.

The jury was told that Marten and Gordon believed social workers were conspiring with her aristocratic relatives to “steal” their child. They described the authorities as “terrorists” and claimed their actions were part of a broader plot.

Gordon later tried to delay proceedings by arguing he could not receive a fair trial due to being portrayed in the media as a “black rapist” in a relationship with a “white aristocrat.” His barrister also cited comparisons made to Wayne Couzens, the former Met officer who murdered Sarah Everard, arguing Gordon had become even more notorious.

Throughout both trials, the couple were repeatedly disruptive. Gordon shouted from the dock following the verdict:

“I’m not surprised by the verdict. It was faulty, it was unlawful. This is not over, it has just begun.”

Marten followed by yelling, “It’s a scam,” before storming out of court. Prosecutor Tom Little KC described Marten’s courtroom behaviour as “grandstanding on a Premier League level”, saying her lies:

“fell from her mouth like confetti in the wind”.

The officer leading the case remarked that the pair had multiple opportunities to seek help but instead made choices that led directly to the child’s death.

Authorities had made an emergency care application on 20 January 2023 after the discovery of the placenta, but by then, the couple had already absconded. Medical professionals had tried to intervene, warning the pair that they were placing the child at grave risk. Marten herself admitted during proceedings that they continually moved to prevent “any one authority” from gaining jurisdiction over their baby.

Experts in criminal behaviour compared Gordon to infamous serial killers such as Ted Bundy, describing him as a sociopathic sex offender who derived gratification from violence. Franklin Nooe, director of a US sexual assault clinic who treated one of Gordon’s early victims, told the court Gordon was among the most dangerous five per cent of rapists — men who “enjoy it” and tend to escalate to killing.

The National Child Safeguarding Panel is now reviewing the case, with a particular focus on whether new legislation is needed to protect unborn children, following police concerns that the current legal framework offers insufficient preventative powers.

Gordon and Marten’s sentencing is set for 15 September. Until then, they remain in custody.

Well, that’s all for now. But until our next article, please stay tuned, stay informed, but most of all stay safe, and I’ll see you then.