A “SELFISH” aristocrat bought petrol to cremate her baby after she claimed she woke up to find the newborn dead, a court heard.
Constance Marten (36) and Mark Gordon (49) allegedly hid the birth of their daughter Victoria after she became pregnant in early 2022.
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Constance Marten allegedly gave birth to a tragic baby in secret
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Mark Gordon and Constance lived off the grid in the cold weather, credits said: PA
The couple then fled to prevent her being taken from them and lived in a “thin and flimsy” tent in the dead of winter, the Old Bailey heard.
Baby Victoria “spent most of her life in a supermarket bag for the rest of her life before her tragic death”, it said.
Her body was later discovered in a shopping bag covered in rubbish inside a derelict shed as if she was “rubbish”, it said.
After she was arrested, Marten claimed she woke up to find Victoria dead in her jacket while they were in the countryside.
Speaking to the police, the mother added: “When I woke up, I was crouching over her, holding her and she didn’t move when I woke up. I don’t know how long I slept.
“I saw that she was not moving and that her lips were blue.
“And, yes, I don’t know how long we slept, I don’t know why she was making noise, and it was so tired, I don’t know.
“Yes. That’s all I can say. I tried CPR, I tried breathing through her mouth and pumping her chest. And there was no response.
“So I wrapped her in a scarf and rocked her for a few minutes. I didn’t know what to do.”
Marten also claimed she bought the petrol because she was thinking about cremating the child, it was said.
Opening the case today, prosecutor Tom Little KC said the case involved a “completely avoidable death of a young baby”.
Jurors were told that Marten and Gordon have four other children who have been taken into their care.
The prosecutor said: “A young girl who, we say, would still be alive if it were not for the reckless, extremely selfish, callous, cruel, arrogant and extremely negligent behavior of the two defendants at the trial.
“They were the parents of that young girl. They put their relationship and their outlook on life ahead of that little girl’s life.
“Instead of acting in the obvious best interests of a vulnerable baby, one they were supposed to care for and care for, they decided they knew best.
“They decided they knew better than anyone else. No matter who they were. They chose to ignore the advice they had previously received.
“And it was their selfish desire to keep their little girl that inevitably led to the death of that baby.”
The court was told that Marten and Gordon chose to “deprive the baby of what she needs” – including “warmth, shelter and food and ultimately safety”.
In the midst of a “cold winter and in brutal and clearly dangerous weather conditions,” the pair “essentially went offline.”
Jurors heard that they were living in a tent with barely any clothes and no way to keep warm and dry.
With “barely” any food, Marten and Gordon remained on the run, failing to seek medical attention or even report the birth as they moved from “location to location”, it said.
Mr Little said: “As the authorities’ search to find them intensified, which made national headlines almost exactly a year ago, their desperate selfishness increased and so did the risks and dangers to that baby.
“This led to them camping in cold and apparently dangerous conditions on the South Downs with insufficient clothing, equipment and food, never once seeking medical attention or help.
“And it was this grossly negligent and clearly dangerous behavior that caused the death of their baby daughter and brought them to sit before you on trial at the Old Bailey.”
The court was told that authorities were first alerted to the baby’s existence when they found the placenta wrapped in a towel on January 5 last year.
A body part was discovered in a car seen burning on the M61 near Manchester, it was said.
Other items officers found included “new baby” nappies and newborn clothes, as well as “burner phones”.
A missing person investigation was launched, which became “bigger and bigger news” as time went on, jurors were told.
But instead of contacting the police, Marten and Gordon allegedly tried to hide their whereabouts instead.
They traveled from Bolton to Liverpool in a taxi with the baby held under Marten’s coat, it was said.
From here the couple took another taxi to Harwich in Suffolk, about 170 miles away, and checked into a Premier Inn.
Jurors heard that locals asked them if they were “the people they saw on the news” so the pair went to Colchester and then London.
Allegedly, despite the weather, they bought camping supplies and put the baby in a supermarket bag.
Mr Little said: “It would have been clear to the defendants, you must have thought, that this was a grossly inappropriate way of looking after any child and that in this case they were mindful of the time of year and the weather conditions at all times.”
Despite coming from a “wealthy” family, Marten and Gordon “bought” food from bins and used furniture stuffing to keep warm.
When he was arrested, Gordon was allegedly asking police for candy and sitting on the floor eating chips.
Jurors were told Marten became pregnant with Victoria in early 2022 after four of her and Gordon’s children were taken into care.
The couple are said to be living off the grid for the rest of the year due to fears their new baby will also be removed.
They booked a holiday cottage in Northumberland on December 20, but left it “in a state of disrepair” seven days later.
The court heard that food was strewn about, as well as “noticeable” stains, but bed linen and sheets had been cleaned.
On December 28, their car broke down and the Highway Recovery worker who went to pick them up believed they were living in the vehicle.
Although he didn’t notice the baby, the rear and side windows of the Suzuki were covered by clothes.
Mr Little said: “The importance of this evidence is that at no time did the driver of the vehicle see or hear any baby, nor was the baby mentioned.
“So you will have to consider in that context any suggestion that the baby was born at that time. If so, where was she? If so, did they leave her in the car? If so, why did they leave her in the car?”
Marten and Gordon deny manslaughter, concealing the birth of a child, cruelty to a person under 16 and perverting the course of justice.
They also deny causing or allowing the death of a child, an alternative charge of murder, between January 4 and February 27 last year.
Marten’s father was the page of the late queen, while her grandmother was the godmother of the queen mother.
The trial, which should last six weeks, continues.
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Marten gave birth in secret, jurors were toldCredit: PA
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She and Gordon then reportedly fled, sparking a manhuntCredit: Facebook
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The baby was found in an abandoned shed Credit: Alamy
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