Constance Marten, the aristocrat at the centre of a tragic baby death case, grew up in a world of privilege but was also shaped by a secretive evangelical church. Her father, Napier Marten, was a page of honour to Queen Elizabeth II, and her family owned the grand Crichel House estate. However, as a teenager, Marten travelled to Nigeria to join a strict religious group, which would later influence her reclusive lifestyle.
Mark Gordon, her partner, had a very different background. Born in 1974 to a Windrush-generation nurse, he moved to Florida as a child. At age 14, he committed a brutal rape, breaking into a neighbour's home and assaulting her at knifepoint for hours. He was sentenced as a juvenile but later deported to the UK.
The couple met and had four children, all taken into care. When their fifth child, Victoria, was born in January 2023, they fled authorities, living rough in a tent despite having access to money. After a two-month manhunt, they were arrested in Brighton, but the baby was found dead in a shed, wrapped in a pink sheet inside a Lidl bag.
Marten's family connections and Gordon's criminal past highlight the stark contrast in their upbringings, which ultimately led to a tragic outcome. The case has drawn widespread attention, with the couple now facing trial for manslaughter and other charges.
