Aristocrat Constance Marten Found Guilty of Manslaughter

Subhead: All of Marten and Gordon's First Four Children Were Taken Into Care

Court Hears Children Were Neglected

Constance Marten and her boyfriend, Mark Gordon, have been found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence over the death of their fifth child, Victoria. The couple had been on the run from police for several weeks after Victoria was born in January 2023. Her body was found in a tent in woodland in Sussex in March 2023. The Old Bailey heard that Marten, 36, and Gordon, 48, had a history of neglecting their children. Social services had taken their first four children into care in 2006, 2007, 2010, and 2011. The couple had refused medical care for their children and had kept them out of school. The court heard that Marten and Gordon had been living in a tent in freezing temperatures for several weeks before Victoria was born. They had not sought any medical care for the baby, and she died shortly after birth. Marten and Gordon were arrested in Brighton in March 2023. They were charged with manslaughter by gross negligence and child cruelty. They were found guilty of manslaughter on July 14, 2023. They will be sentenced on August 4, 2023.