Marten, Gordon Guilty in Death of Newborn

Constance Marten, a British aristocrat, and her partner Mark Gordon were found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence after the death of their newborn daughter, Victoria. The couple went on the run across England in winter 2022-2023, living off-grid in a tent with their baby to evade social services after their four other children had been taken into care. The nationwide manhunt, which began after their car was found burned out with a placenta inside, cost taxpayers millions. Victoria's body was discovered in a rubbish-filled bag in a shed near Brighton, but decomposition prevented a definitive cause of death, though hypothermia or smothering were likely. Both Marten and Gordon were also convicted of child cruelty, concealing birth, and perverting the course of justice. The trial and retrial highlighted the couple's history of evading authorities and failures in parental responsibility.