Constance Marten Retrial Focuses on Baby’s Death During Off-Grid Escape

Prosecutors argue gross negligence by Marten and partner Mark Gordon caused the avoidable death of their newborn daughter in January 2023.

Constance Marten, from an aristocratic background, and her partner Mark Gordon are on retrial for manslaughter by gross negligence following the death of their newborn daughter, Victoria, in January 2023.
The couple went into hiding after Victoria's birth, living in a tent in freezing conditions to avoid detection by authorities, who had previously taken their four older children into care.
Prosecutors allege the couple's decision to live off-grid deprived the baby of essential care, ultimately leading to her death by hypothermia, suffocation, or positional asphyxia.
Victoria’s body was discovered in a decomposed state on March 1, 2023, hidden in a bag for life under rubbish, after the couple was arrested in Brighton following a nationwide search.
The defense denies the charges, arguing the death was accidental, while the trial highlights the couple’s history of evading authorities and their access to substantial financial resources from Marten’s trust fund.