The tragic case of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon has finally reached its grim conclusion. The couple, whose desperate flight across England gripped the nation last year, have been jailed for 14 years for the death of their newborn daughter, Victoria.
A Baby Lost On The Run
Marten, 38, and Gordon, 51, were convicted of gross negligence manslaughter after their daughter was found dead in a shopping bag in Brighton in early 2023. The baby’s tiny body was so badly decomposed that investigators were left piecing together her last days from fragments of evidence.
Their story shocked the public from the start. The couple vanished in January 2023 after their car was discovered burnt out near Bolton. Inside, police found signs that a child had been born recently. A frantic 53-day nationwide search began, with officers tracing their movements from the North West to the South Coast.
While the public hoped for a safe outcome, the reality was far darker. When police finally caught up with them in Brighton on February 27, the baby was already gone. Just two days later, Victoria’s body was discovered hidden in an allotment shed.
A Judge’s Damning Words
At the Old Bailey, Judge Mark Lucraft KC delivered a stinging assessment of the couple’s actions. He told them bluntly that they had shown little regard for their daughter’s welfare. “Neither of you gave much thought to the care or welfare of your baby,” he said, adding that both had displayed “no genuine expression of remorse.”
The judge ruled that Victoria had died from hypothermia while the couple were living in a tent on the South Downs during one of the coldest months of the year. Marten and Gordon had denied that version of events, but the court accepted the evidence.
As he handed down their sentences, there was no visible reaction from either defendant. Gordon will also serve an extra four years on extended licence once released.
A Trial Clouded By Disruption
The case was not straightforward. A lengthy retrial was needed after earlier proceedings were disrupted. Throughout the hearings, the judge accused both Marten and Gordon of trying to “sabotage” and “manipulate” the process. Even on the day of sentencing, they were chastised for passing notes to each other in the dock—behaviour Judge Lucraft called “a complete lack of respect.”
Their convictions were not limited to manslaughter. They were also found guilty of concealing the birth, failing to report Victoria’s death, and child cruelty.
The Defence Speaks Of Sorrow
During mitigation, Marten’s barrister, Tom Godfrey, told the court his client lived with immense regret. “The sorrow that Constance Marten feels is impalpable,” he said. He admitted she accepted responsibility for the events that led to Victoria’s death and would carry that weight for the rest of her life.
Gordon’s defence also tried to soften the court’s view. His barrister, Philippa McAtasney KC, said her client had expressed remorse in private. “I regret that things happened the way they happened,” Gordon reportedly told her, adding that he would live with that regret forever.
Public Anger And Heartbreak
Outside the courtroom, the case has sparked widespread anger and sadness. Many have questioned how two adults could allow their own child to die in such squalid, dangerous conditions. Social media has been flooded with messages of fury, disbelief, and sorrow. “That baby deserved love and protection, not abandonment in a freezing tent,” one post read.
Others expressed frustration at the couple’s lack of visible remorse during the trial. For many parents, the story feels unbearable: a newborn lost not to illness or fate, but to the choices of those meant to protect her most.
A Haunting Reminder
The death of Victoria has left behind a haunting reminder of what happens when desperation and recklessness collide. The baby’s short life—spent in hiding, cold, and without medical care—has stirred painful questions about parental responsibility and the limits of human cruelty.
For now, Marten and Gordon will spend the next decade and more behind bars, though critics argue that no sentence can reflect the true loss of an innocent life.
Victoria never had a chance to grow, laugh, or play. Instead, her name will forever be linked to one of Britain’s most heartbreaking cases.
