In a startling development, Mark Gordon, the partner of an aristocrat accused of the manslaughter of their newborn baby, refused to appear in court today. The 49-year-old Gordon was scheduled to face a charge of failing to comply with the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders’ Register. He cited extreme back and neck pain as the reason for his non-appearance.
The forthcoming trial involves Mark Gordon and his aristocrat partner, Ms Marten, following the discovery of their newborn baby’s lifeless body in an allotment shed in Brighton, East Sussex, in March of the previous year. The couple had gone missing in February, prompting a nationwide search.
Ms. Marten had distanced herself from her Dorset-based family after embarking on a relationship with Gordon in 2016 while she was a drama student.
Both Gordon and Ms. Marten have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including manslaughter by gross negligence of their daughter, perverting the course of justice by concealing the baby’s body, concealing the birth, child cruelty, and allowing the child’s death.
Gordon, who had previously requested an adjournment to secure legal representation, claimed to be suffering from severe back and neck pain and expressed a desire to see a doctor.
District Judge Vanessa Lloyd expressed scepticism regarding Gordon’s reasons for not attending court, suggesting that he may be employing his physical discomfort as a “mechanism” to delay proceedings. She stated that Gordon had refused to appear in court the previous week and implied that he might continue to do so, as he could not be compelled to attend.
Judge Lloyd conveyed a message from the prison indicating that Gordon refused to attend court due to the pain he was experiencing. She further mentioned that Gordon was awaiting medical attention for his “extreme” pain in his back and neck.
Police Constable Rhianne Trill, the Met Police’s officer handling the case, informed Bromley Magistrates’ Court that officers had been “turned away” despite possessing a warrant to produce Gordon in court.
Gordon’s trial, alongside aristocrat partner Constance Marten, 37, is scheduled to commence at the Old Bailey on January 22. PC Trill expressed the Met’s keenness to expedite Gordon’s charge, preferably before the trial date.
In response to PC Trill’s inquiry about the potential consequences if Gordon continued to refuse court appearances, DJ Lloyd stated that it would be at the discretion of prison officers at HMP Belmarsh to employ “reasonable force” to compel his attendance.
The adjourned hearing is now set for next Wednesday.
