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Jury to Deliberate in Marten and Gordon’s Newborn Manslaughter Trial

The couple argue that state failings led to baby Victoria’s death after rejecting the prosecution’s account of negligence

Mark Gordon and Constance Marten deny manslaughter by gross negligence, concealment of the birth of their child Victoria and perverting the course of justice
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Overview

  • Jury members at the Old Bailey are set to begin deliberations on gross negligence manslaughter charges against Constance Marten and Mark Gordon.
  • In his self-represented closing speech, Gordon likened the prosecution’s evidence to a fictional script and accused it of being speculative.
  • Prosecutors contend that Victoria died from hypothermia or smothering while co-sleeping in a flimsy tent despite prior welfare warnings.
  • Marten and Gordon went off-grid to avoid social services taking their fifth child, triggering a national manhunt after their car was found burned.
  • The trial has spotlighted Gordon’s past criminal convictions and the couple’s claims that racial and class bias shaped the authorities’ pursuit