A 53 day manhunt which began with a burnt out car on the M61 near Bolton had ended today with the manslaughter conviction of its two occupants Constance Marten and Mark Gordon
Police found a placenta inside, indicating that Marten had given birth without any medical care sparking a nationwide alert which ended 270 miles away in Brighton
The couple’s baby, Victoria, was found dead in a shopping bag and today following a retrial the pair were found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter over her death
They had been convicted at an earlier trial of concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice.
The Authorities had previously taken four of their children into care following concerns for the wellbeing of each child, which included previous warnings about wholly unsuitable living conditions for a baby in a tent,
Samantha Yelland, London’s senior crown prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service said following the verdict:
“It is shocking that parents could subject their newborn baby to such obvious risks and today a jury has convicted Constance Marten and Mark Gordon for their crimes – after the prosecution brought fresh evidence to prove their guilt,” adding that their “reckless actions were driven by a selfish desire to keep their baby no matter the cost – resulting in her tragic death”.
