In a case that has horrified the nation, wealthy aristocrat Constance Marten and her partner, Mark Gordon, have been handed severe prison sentences at the Old Bailey for the manslaughter of their newborn daughter, Victoria.
The couple's desperate attempt to live off-grid and avoid the attention of social services ended in tragedy when their baby died in January 2023. The court heard how the infant succumbed to the bitter cold after being forced to sleep in a Lidl shopping bag inside a dilapidated shed, without any adequate warmth, clothing, or nourishment.
A Life of Privilege to a Life on the Run
The trial revealed a shocking fall from grace. Marten, 37, who comes from a family with close ties to the Royal Family, and Gordon, 50, a convicted sex offender, chose a life of extreme squalor over accepting help from authorities.
Their journey across England was financed by withdrawing vast sums of cash—£33,000 in the first month of 2023 alone—while their child suffered immensely. They slept in a tent on the South Downs in the depths of winter, with temperatures plunging below freezing.
A Catalogue of Failures and Neglect
Mr Justice Goose, delivering his sentencing remarks, laid bare the couple's "total negligence" towards their vulnerable daughter. He stated they had prioritised their own desires for secrecy over their duty to protect their child, who was born in secret and never received any medical attention.
Despite having the means to provide a safe and warm environment, they instead subjected Victoria to conditions the judge described as "bleak and desperate." The prosecution detailed how the baby would have been alive today had her parents taken even the most basic steps to care for her.
The Sentences and a Mother's Defiance
Marten was sentenced to 12 years and 9 months in prison, while Gordon received a term of 14 years and 3 months. Both will serve at least two-thirds of their sentence behind bars.
Throughout the trial, the couple showed little remorse. Marten was even seen laughing and smiling with Gordon in the dock after the verdicts were delivered, a display the judge noted as demonstrating a "wholly exceptional absence of remorse."
The case serves as a stark and tragic reminder of the ultimate responsibility parents hold and the devastating consequences that can follow when that responsibility is abandoned.
