A couple on trial for the manslaughter of their newborn baby while on the run allegedly abandoned their cat after their car broke down, a court heard.
Wealthy aristocrat Constance Marten, 36, and boyfriend Mark Gordon, 49, are accused of killing their tiny daughter Victoria after her body was found in a Lidl shopping bag in a shed in Brighton. It is alleged the couple travelled across England and lived off-grid on the South Downs in a bid to keep the baby after four other children were taken into care.
On January 5, Greater Manchester Police launched a missing persons inquiry after finding a placenta in the couple's burnt-out car on the M61 near Bolton. The defendants spent hundreds of pounds on taxis taking them from the North West to Essex, London and the south coast, jurors at the Old Bailey have heard.
But the couple's cat was found by police in a cat box. near a playground next to the motorway. The jury earlier heard cat litter was found in an Airbnb the couple stayed in over Christmas 2022. On January 8 the couple were seen on CCTV walking out into the "wilds" of the South Downs. On January 11, Marten received £800 into her bank account.
Around 6am on January 12 Marten was seen at a Texaco garage in New Haven. She bought sweets, water, scarfs and a baseball cap. Marten used a pump to fill a glass bottle with petrol, paying with cash. Gordon was outside carrying the Lidl bag for life, the court heard.
Man arrested for murder after woman found dead on New Year's Eve
Police officer DC Martha Bourne said the bag appeared to blow in the wind, indicating it was not heavy. Marten later claimed to police she bought petrol to cremate her baby, who she says died between January 8 and 12. Nicholas Frost saw Gordon come out of a blue tent near Stanmer Park outside Brighton on January 16.
"My wife and I were walking our dogs when I noticed a blue tent in the woodland," he said. "It was a blue dome-style tent. I thought this was unusual as you never see people camping in that area generally. It was also very cold and not your typical camping weather, I'd say it was roughly minus two degrees. It was really windy.
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon are on trial for manslaughter (PA)"At this point the male came out from inside the tent. This startled us and the male appeared to be startled as well. As soon as he saw me he put his head down and walked off. I definitely got the impression he didn't want to be seen. The male was carrying two bags one of them was a bag for life which did look like it had stuff in it. The other bag was a white or clear carried tied at the top like a rubbish bag."
Mary Thompson, said she saw the tent on 'hard ground' near an electrical pylon on Coldean Lane, Brighton. "The first thing I noticed was there was a metal gate which looked ajar as if it was open." She said this was unusual and she told her husband: "They must be bloody freezing or mad." Ms Thompson said she had never seen a tent pitched in that area at that time of year before.
On February 19, Pauline Mason and her husband went to Stanmer Park in Brighton for some "fresh air". Mrs Mason was in a mobility scooter and her husband was walking when she saw a tent near Stoney Mere Way. She told jurors: "I noticed a tent, the tent was royal blue, it was not very big. I just thought it might be a hiker.
CCTV footage shows the pair walking along the side of the road"My husband had walked ahead of me and I shouted to him, 'Come over, what's that tent doing there?' He said, 'Dunno, someone is sleeping out on a cold night'. I was taken aback by it then continued on my scooter." Further on, she noticed a "mum with baby", Mrs Mason said.
Prosecutor Tom Little KC asked: "What did you notice, if anything, about the baby?" Mrs Mason said: "The mother was focused on the baby, her eyes were totally focused on that baby and my eyes went from her to the baby. The baby was in a sling. She was holding her around the baby's head to steady it."
The child was very pale, did not make any sound and her head was "wobbling", "floppy" and "unsteady", the witness said. She was "very surprised" to see the child had no hat, socks or booties on and was only wearing a cardigan and leggings. Mrs Mason said the woman looked tired and she felt sorry for her. The trial continues.
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