Constance Marten, the 38-year-old daughter of a former page to the Queen, is facing a retrial at the Old Bailey alongside her partner Mark Gordon, 51, accused of killing their two-week-old baby Victoria. The couple were found guilty last June of child cruelty, perverting the course of justice and concealing the birth of a child, but the jury could not reach a verdict on charges of gross negligence manslaughter and causing or allowing the death of a child.
The baby was born on Christmas Eve 2022 at a cottage in Haltwhistle, Northumberland, without medical assistance. She spent her short life being carried by her mother in a sling, hidden under a jacket, as the family travelled across England. On 5 January 2023, police found their burnt-out car near Bolton with a placenta inside, triggering a national search. The couple were eventually found camping on the South Downs.
Marten grew up at Crichel House, a stately home in Dorset, while Gordon spent 20 years in US prisons after being charged with rape and battery at age 14. During the original trial, both defendants frequently failed to attend court. At the start of the retrial in March 2025, Marten again refused to appear, claiming illness, but was declared fit. Judge Mark Lucraft KC, the Recorder of London, warned he would continue without them.
The trial has drawn intense public interest, partly due to the stark contrast between Marten's aristocratic background and Gordon's criminal history. The prosecution alleges the couple's 'relentless, destructive energy' led to the baby's death, though the exact cause remains unknown. The retrial is expected to last several months.
