Constance Marten Launches High-Stakes Appeal in Baby Victoria Manslaughter Case
Constance Marten, 38, has thrown down the gauntlet by applying to the Court of Appeal to overturn her manslaughter conviction for the death of her newborn daughter, Victoria. The case has gripped the UK, standing as one of the most talked-about trials in recent memory.
Double Conviction for Marten and Partner Mark Gordon
Marten and her partner, Mark Gordon, 51, were found guilty earlier this year of manslaughter by gross negligence, concealing the birth, and perverting the course of justice. The pair face sentencing at the Old Bailey on September 15, with tough prison sentences expected.
Their conviction came after a gruelling retrial, where jurors spent over 14 hours deliberating before unanimously ruling them guilty. The first trial in 2023 collapsed on the manslaughter charge but saw convictions for child cruelty, concealing a birth, and perverting the course of justice.
Legal Bid: Was the Trial Prejudiced?
Marten’s legal team argues jurors might have been unfairly influenced when she accidentally revealed Gordon’s past as a convicted rapist in court. The defence claims the trial judge failed to promptly warn jurors to ignore the damaging revelation, almost derailing the retrial.
Gordon, maintaining his innocence, has slammed the verdict as “faulty” and “unlawful” and is also preparing to appeal.
How Baby Victoria Died and the Couple’s Flight from Justice
The troubled couple went on the run in January 2023, terrified authorities would take baby Victoria into care. They vanished for nearly seven weeks, hopping between London, East Sussex, and remote campsites.
They were finally caught on February 27, 2023. Tragically, police soon found baby Victoria’s remains stuffed in a Lidl bag inside a disused shed.
The baby’s body was too decomposed to confirm a precise cause of death. Prosecutors argued Victoria either froze to death or was smothered while sharing a sleeping bag with her parents in freezing conditions. The defence insisted it was a tragic accident after Marten fell asleep on her child.
Dark Past: Mark Gordon’s Violent History
- In 1989, aged 14, Gordon raped a woman at knifepoint in Florida and committed aggravated battery shortly after. He was jailed for 40 years, serving 22.
- In 2017, he was convicted of assaulting police officers at a Welsh maternity unit.
- In 2019, he was suspected of domestic violence that left Marten with a shattered spleen while pregnant.
Despite this history, jurors were not fully informed of Gordon’s violent past during the trial. Their other children were removed from the couple’s care following family court intervention.
What’s Next for Marten and Gordon?
Both remain in custody as they await sentencing. The Court of Appeal now faces the decision whether to allow their appeals to proceed, potentially reopening one of the UK’s most sensational criminal cases.
