A couple has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for the gross negligence manslaughter of their newborn daughter while evading authorities.
On Monday, 38-year-old Constance Marten and 51-year-old Mark Gordon received their sentences at the Old Bailey, having been convicted in July after a lengthy retrial.
Their baby, Victoria, was discovered dead in a shopping bag in Brighton in 2023. Police had been searching for the pair for 53 days, beginning after a burnt-out car near Bolton revealed evidence of a recent birth.
In delivering the sentence, Judge Mark Lucraft KC told the defendants that they had shown little concern for their baby’s welfare and highlighted their lack of genuine remorse.
The court ruled that Victoria had died from hypothermia, a conclusion both defendants disputed throughout the hearings. Judge Mark Lucraft KC added that Gordon will spend an additional four years on extended licence after release. Neither he nor Marten reacted as their sentences were handed down.
In an earlier trial, the pair were found guilty of concealing their child’s birth, failing to report her death, and committing acts of child cruelty. While evading police across various parts of England, they camped outdoors and deliberately avoided detection.
Authorities eventually caught up with them on 27 February 2023, and two days later, Victoria’s body was discovered in an allotment shed in Brighton’s Hollingbury area. Investigators determined she had died in a tent on the South Downs the previous January.
During their trial, Marten and Gordon claimed the death had been a tragic accident, saying the baby slipped from Marten’s arms after she fell asleep. Prosecutors, however, relied on expert testimony about hypothermia, with one specialist describing the freezing conditions the infant endured.
The lengthy retrial was marked by disruption, with the judge accusing the couple of attempting to “sabotage” and “manipulate” proceedings. Even during Monday’s sentencing, both defendants were reprimanded for exchanging notes in the dock—behavior the judge said reflected “a complete lack of respect.”
In mitigation, Constance Marten’s lawyer, Tom Godfrey, told the court that her grief was beyond measure. He said Marten had acknowledged from an early stage that her actions led to her baby’s death, a truth that weighs heavily on her conscience and will continue to do so for the rest of her life.
Representing Mark Gordon, barrister Philippa McAtasney KC told the court that Gordon expressed regret over how events unfolded, adding that he knows he must carry that burden for the rest of his life.
English