Constance Marten and partner 'told each other to lie to police', court hears

25 March 2024 , 19:01

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Constance Marten has been giving evidence at the Old Bailey where she and Mark Gordon are on trial for manslaughter by gross negligence of their newborn daughter (Image: PA)

Constance Marten told how she told partner Mark Gordon to lie to police about being there when their baby died over fears he would be blamed due to his race.

The 36-year-old mum is on trial with Gordon accused of causing the death of their newborn daughter Victoria while on the run from authorities last year. The couple spent weeks living a nomadic lifestyle in the height of winter, with Victoria's body later found in a shopping bag in a disused shed.

Taking the witness stand on Monday, Marten said she and Gordon, 49, advised each other to lie to police about the circumstances of Victoria's death to protect one another. She claimed she thought officers would "automatically blame him, being a black guy".

The couple went on the run for nearly two months (Met Police)

Previously during the trial at the Old Bailey, the jury has heard how Marten and Gordon went on the run with their baby leaving their car in flames on the side of a motorway near Bolton, Greater Manchester, in January last year. Marten, who is from a wealthy aristocrat background with historical ties to the royal family, has since claimed Victoria died on January 9 - four days after the car fire.

She told the court Gordon told her not to tell police that Victoria died while Marten was holding her in her sleep because police would "blame" her. Marten said that, in turn, she told Gordon to tell police he was not there at the time.

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Constance Marten and Mark Gordon, who are both on trial charged with the gross negligence manslaughter of their baby Victoria (PA)

Asked if she advised Gordon to lie to the police, she said: "Yes, I'm very protective over my husband because I feel that he gets blamed for everything." She added: "I thought they were going to automatically blame him, being a black guy, and I am the good one usually." Asked if it was fair to say that Gordon advised her to lie and she advised him to lie in order to protect each other, Marten said: "Yes."

The couple were both arrested in Brighton on February 27 last year, with Victoria's body found shortly after on March 1. While in custody, the pair refused to answer questions about whether the baby was alive or dead. The defendants, of no fixed address, deny manslaughter by gross negligence, perverting the course of justice, concealing the birth of a child, child cruelty and causing or allowing the death of a child.

Susie Beever