THE AMERICA ONE NEWS
Sep 16, 2025  |  
0
 | Remer,MN
Sponsor:  QWIKET 
Sponsor:  QWIKET 
Sponsor:  QWIKET: Elevate your fantasy game! Interactive Sports Knowledge.
Sponsor:  QWIKET: Elevate your fantasy game! Interactive Sports Knowledge and Reasoning Support for Fantasy Sports and Betting Enthusiasts.
back  
topic


NextImg:Constance Marten and Mark Gordon sentenced to 14 years in prison each over daughter's death

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon have been sentenced to 14 years each in prison over the death of their newborn daughter.

Marten, age 38, and 51-year-old Gordon, were found guilty of the manslaughter of their newborn daughter Victoria while on the run from authorities and living in a tent on the South Downs in January 2023.

The couple appeared at the Old Bailey for sentencing today.

They also faced sentencing for child cruelty, concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice following two trials spanning six months each.

Constance Marten and Mark GordonConstance Marten and Mark Gordon have today been sentenced over the death of their newborn daughter | PA

Gordon was sentenced to 14 years in prison and will serve a further four on an extended licence.

Marten was also handed a 14-year jail term and told she will not be released until she has serve two-thirds of the sentence.

Passing sentence to Marten, Judge Mark Lucraft KC said: "In your case I have given consideration as to whether the custodial sentence should be the same as length as that passed on Mark Gordon or not.

"Having reflected on the issue, I am of the view the custodial terms should be of the same length.

"The issues around future risks have led me to the conclusion that Mark Gordon should be the subject to an extended sentence and there is therefore that distinction between the two of you."

Previously, the court had heard how the defendants exposed baby Victoria to dangerous conditions when they went into hiding to avoid her being taken into care, as four other siblings had been before.

Police launched a nationwide hunt after their car burst into flames on a motorway near Bolton, Greater Manchester, on January 5 2023.

The defendants travelled across England and went off-grid, sleeping in a tent on the South Downs where baby Victoria died days later.

Following seven weeks on the run, the defendants were arrested in Brighton.

After a desperate search, police found their baby dead amid rubbish inside a Lidl bag in a disused shed nearby.

Victoria’s remains were too badly decomposed to establish the cause of death.

The prosecution said she had died from hypothermia in the cold and damp conditions inside the flimsy tent or was smothered despite Marten being warned by social workers about the dangers.

The defendants claimed their daughter’s death was a tragic accident after Marten fell asleep on her.