Constance Marten and Mark Gordon, the couple convicted of killing their newborn daughter Victoria, are now serving time in prison. Their chaotic lives, marked by privilege and crime, have been laid bare in a BBC investigation.
Marten, from a wealthy aristocratic family with royal connections, and Gordon, a convicted rapist from Florida, went on the run in January 2023 after their car was found burning on the M61. Inside, police discovered a placenta, revealing the existence of a baby. The couple evaded capture for two months, living in a tent and scavenging in bins, despite having access to money.
When arrested in Brighton, the baby was missing. Her body was later found in a Lidl bag in a shed, wrapped in a pink sheet. The couple had four other children, all taken into care.
Marten's father Napier was a page of honour to the Queen, and she claimed to have played with princes William and Harry as a child. Gordon, the son of a Windrush-generation nurse, was convicted of a brutal rape in Florida at age 15, serving time before being deported to the UK.
The couple met in 2016 and had a volatile relationship, with Marten cutting ties with her family. Their trial heard how they neglected Victoria, who died from hypothermia and neglect. Both were found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to life imprisonment.
