In London, a British aristocrat, Constance Marten, 38, and her boyfriend, Mark Gordon, 51, have been convicted of killing their newborn daughter in 2023. The couple were found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter in their second trial at London’s Central Criminal Court. They had previously been convicted of perverting the course of justice, concealing the birth of a child, and child cruelty during their first trial.
Marten gave birth in secret to a girl named Victoria after the courts took away their other four children due to concerns for their safety. Despite Marten’s wealthy background and connections to the royal family, she rejected her privilege and lived without paying rent, scavenging for food in trash bins, and camping in harsh conditions while on the run.
The police conducted a nationwide search for the couple for seven weeks after discovering a placenta in the couple’s burned-out car in northwestern England. The couple avoided using credit cards and spent hundreds of pounds on cabs to travel around the country.
Following their arrest in Brighton on Feb. 27, the couple refused to disclose the baby’s whereabouts. Gordon, who had served over 20 years in a U.S. prison for rape, showed indifference when asked about the baby’s welfare.
Two days later, police discovered the baby’s decomposed body in a garden shed, wrapped in a shopping bag among garbage. Prosecutors believed the infant had either died from hypothermia or suffocation.
During the second trial, both defendants testified but cut their testimony short during cross-examination. Marten criticized the prosecution as “heartless” and “diabolical.”
