Constance Marten and Mark Gordon Jailed for 14 Years Over Baby Victoria's Death

Sentencing for Gross Negligence Manslaughter

• ⚖️ Constance Marten and Mark Gordon have each been sentenced to 14 years in prison for the gross negligence manslaughter of their newborn daughter, Victoria.
• 💔 Baby Victoria was found dead in a shopping bag in Brighton in 2023, after the couple spent nearly two months on the run.
• 👨‍⚖️ The judge stated that neither parent showed genuine remorse and that their actions constituted neglect of the gravest and most serious type, leading to the baby's death by hypothermia.

Circumstances Leading to the Death

• 🥶 The judge ruled that baby Victoria, who was not seen wearing adequate clothing, died of hypothermia.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The couple had initially gone into hiding because their previous four children had been removed by family court.
• 🚗 The existence of a fifth child became apparent after their car caught fire and police found a baby's placenta, prompting them to flee onto the South Downs.

Background of the Parents

• 👑 Constance Marten comes from an aristocratic family, with her grandmother having notable connections.
• ⛓️ Mark Gordon has a prior conviction in Florida for rape from when he was 14 and served 20 years in prison before being deported to Britain.
• ⛪ Marten also spent time at a church in Nigeria run by TB Joshua, which a former dorm-mate described as a place of torture and abuse, potentially leading to her distrust of institutions.

Relationship and Outcome

• 💔 Marten and Gordon met in 2016 and had a seven-year relationship that resulted in four children being taken into care and the death of their fifth child.
• ⏳ Gordon will serve an additional four years on extended license, while Marten will not be eligible for release until she has served at least two-thirds of her sentence.