A British aristocrat and her boyfriend ran away with their newborn baby to prevent it being looked after — then left it to freeze to death by leaving it in a Lidl shopping bag, their trial was told Thursday.
Constance Marten, 36, and Mark Gordon, 49, sparked a national manhunt when their car was found abandoned and on fire in the Manchester area on January 5, 2023, the BBC said.
The couple – whose four older children were looked after – allegedly fled to avoid their new baby, Victoria, being taken too, prosecutor Tom Little told the Old Bailey at the opening of Thursday’s trial.
Marten – whose grandmother was the late Queen Mother’s goddaughter, according to The Sun – was arrested with her boyfriend on February 27 in Brighton, about 200 miles from where their burnt-out car was found.
Less than two days later, baby Victoria’s body was found in a shopping bag covered in rubbish, “as if she had been pushed,” the court was told, according to the BBC.
During the 55 days they were free, the couple camped outside the home and exposed their baby to “freezing and clearly dangerous conditions” while “essentially off the grid,” prosecutors said.
Constance Marten, 36, is the daughter of a wealthy British family. Facebook/Constance Marten
They also carried Victoria in a “reusable ‘Lidl bag for life’ where it looks like she spent most of her life before she died,” Little added of the baby.
“It is clear to the defendant… this is an inappropriate way to care for any child… and remember at all times in this case the time of year and the weather conditions,” he continued.
“It was this very negligent and clearly dangerous behavior that led to the death of their baby girl,” asserted Little.
“A young baby girl would still be alive if not for the reckless, selfish, callous, cruel, arrogant and ultimately negligent conduct of these two defendants – who are the baby girl’s parents,” he lamented.
Although officials do not know exactly when Victoria was born, they estimate that Marten gave birth around Dec. 28, 2022, the court heard.
The court heard how the pair spent more than a month on the run last year. Julia Quenzler / SWNS
The couple did not seek any medical treatment before, during, or after delivery.
The placenta was also found wrapped in a towel in their burning car, Little said.
“Instead of acting in the best interest of the vulnerable baby that they should be looking after and caring for, they decided instead that they knew best,” he told the court.
Both Marten and Gordon were charged with grossly negligent homicide, perverting the course of justice by concealing a body, concealing the birth of a child, child cruelty and allowing the death of a child, the Standard reported.
Mark Gordon appeared in the dock. Julia Quenzler / SWNS
They have both denied all charges.
Marten was not present at the opening of the trial on Thursday, but Gordon sat in the dock, the BBC said.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
