By David Young And Lucy Caulkett-
Constance Marten, 36, has passionately denied allegations of harming her newborn baby girl, Victoria, during her testimony before a jury, claiming she and her boyfriend loved her children more than anything in the world.
She said she had shown the baby nothing but love.
Marten, along with her partner Mark Gordon, 49, faces charges of manslaughter by gross negligence regarding their daughter’s death. Victoria’s lifeless body was discovered in a Lidl bag in a shed in Brighton on March 1, nearly two months after she passed away.
Appearing in the witness box for the first time, she told the court she felt “disbelief, shock and intense grief” when she awoke in a tent and realised her baby had died on 9 January last year.
The grim discovery came after Marten and Gordon allegedly lived in a tent amid wintry conditions on the South Downs. Their situation led to a nationwide search initiated by Greater Manchester Police after a placenta was found in their burnt-out car near Bolton in January of the previous year.
Authorities suspect the couple fled to avoid losing Victoria after four other children were taken into care.
During her emotional testimony, Marten vehemently refuted any suggestions of neglect or harm towards Victoria, stating that she and Gordon loved their children “more than anything in the world.”
She described her shock and despair upon finding Victoria dead in her jacket, emphasizing that their intention for living in a tent was to provide for their daughter.
Marten’s account in court was an expression of distress and panic following Victoria’s death, fearing media scrutiny and potential intervention from authorities.
Despite warnings from social workers about the risks of co-sleeping in a tent, Marten maintained she took every precaution to ensure Victoria’s safety.
The trial has shed light on Marten’s turbulent past, including strained relationships with her family and financial struggles. She disclosed her attempts to flee her family’s influence and her dissatisfaction with the support provided by social services.
Jurors heard Marten received nearly £50,000 from a trust fund before going on the run.
She said the care proceedings were “one of the most disgraceful cases”. When asked about social services, she replied: “I don’t believe they are there to help parents or children.”
Marten told the court that she and Gordon had never done anything to harm any of their children, adding: “There’s literally nothing I wouldn’t do for my children”.
She added: “Mark and I love our kids more than anything in the world, so I’m pretty angry they’ve had to go through this.”
She told the jury she planned to provide “parental love, warmth, care, food” and that being “on the move” did not matter as long as she was “provided for”.
Marten said she only planned to be in a tent for a day or two, and went to the port town of Newhaven on 8 January to rent a cottage and find someone to smuggle them abroad.
Asked if she was concerned the weather might affect Victoria, she said: “Of course, because she’s my baby, I was worried about her all the time.
“If I thought for one second the cold would affect her, it was too cold, or we didn’t have enough items to keep her warm we wouldn’t have been in that position.”
“Obviously it would be preferable to be in a house, that’s just common sense, but at no point did I think she’s in danger because we took care of her. She was our pride and joy. She was very well protected and looked after.”
Passion
The court heard Marten was privately educated before attending Leeds University and took photographs of the Egyptian revolution, as well as working for the news network Al Jazeera as a researcher.
She told jurors that travelling was her “passion” and that she had “been very blessed” after describing trips to India, Nepal, Nigeria, Uganda, Peru and throughout Europe.
Marten said she met Gordon in an Indian shop that sold incense but did not introduce him to her family, who she had broken ties with about two years earlier.
“I didn’t want anything to do with them,” she said
She told the jury she and Gordon were moving every one to three days while she was pregnant with Victoria “so she would not be taken”.
“I wanted Victoria with me for the first three to six months of her life so I could give her the love that she needs because I don’t think it’s fair for any children to be removed from her parents,” she said.
After giving birth in a rented cottage in Northumberland on 24 December 2022, Marten said their plans “disintegrated” when their car “blew up” on 5 January.
“We just acted on impulse and instinct,” she said. “What are we going to do to save Victoria?”
Marten denied carrying Victoria in a carrier bag at any time before she died and said they decided to buy a tent in east London so they could “lay low away from prying eyes”, but said Victoria’s wellbeing was her “primary concern”.
Parental Love
She told the jury she planned to provide “parental love, warmth, care, food” and that being “on the move” did not matter as long as she was “provided for”.
Marten said she only planned to be in a tent for a day or two, and went to the port town of Newhaven on 8 January to rent a cottage and find someone to smuggle them abroad.
Asked if she was concerned the weather might affect Victoria, she said: “Of course, because she’s my baby, I was worried about her all the time.
“If I thought for one second the cold would affect her, it was too cold, or we didn’t have enough items to keep her warm we wouldn’t have been in that position.”
“Obviously it would be preferable to be in a house, that’s just common sense, but at no point did I think she’s in danger because we took care of her. She was our pride and joy. She was very well protected and looked after.”
Prosecutors do not accept the dates Marten says Victoria was born on and when she died.
The defense’s argument emphasizes Marten’s devotion to her children and the challenging circumstances under which they lived. Marten’s narrative portrays a desperate mother caught in a web of familial discord and societal challenges.
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.
The trial continues as the court seeks to uncover the truth behind Victoria’s untimely demise and the events leading up to it.