Constance Marten, an aristocrat with access to a substantial trust fund, and her partner Mark Gordon have been found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter following the death of their baby daughter, Victoria. The infant died while the family was living in a tent on the South Downs in winter, with insufficient clothing and supplies.
The couple had the financial means to provide proper care, spending thousands on taxis, hotels, and holiday lets before resorting to the tent. However, they deliberately avoided staying more than three days in any council area to prevent local authorities from gaining jurisdiction over their newborn. Marten's trust fund could have been accessed, but doing so would have raised questions from social services.
Marten and Gordon had previously been deemed unfit to care for their four older children, who were taken into care. Concerns arose after a 2019 incident where Marten suffered a shattered spleen during pregnancy, and Gordon initially refused paramedics entry. A family court judge found they had evaded authorities and failed to provide adequate antenatal and postnatal care.
The couple believed that if social services learned of Victoria's birth, they would intervene. The jury concluded that Marten and Gordon chose to keep Victoria with them, even at mortal risk, rather than allow her to be placed in relative safety under care proceedings. Their actions amounted to gross negligence, leading to the baby's death.
Marten, known as 'Toots', grew up at Crichel House, an 18th-century Georgian estate in Dorset. Her father, Napier Marten, inherited the £115m estate but gave it up in 1996. Constance attended St Mary's school and studied at the University of Leeds. She was featured in Tatler as 'babe of the month' in her youth.
