Jury retires in child manslaughter retrial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon

Marten, 38, and convicted rapist Mark Gordon, 51, are accused over the dying of new child Victoria

A jury has began deliberating on verdicts within the retrial of rich aristocrat Constance Marten and her convicted rapist companion for the manslaughter of their child.

Marten, 38, and Mark Gordon, 51, are accused over the dying of new child Victoria in a tent on the South Downs in early 2023.

The prosecution alleges Victoria died from hypothermia or was smothered whereas co-sleeping within the “flimsy” tent, regardless of earlier warnings.

The defendants have claimed their daughter’s dying was a tragic accident and there was no failure of their obligation of care in direction of Victoria.

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Marten has informed jurors the child died after she “blacked out” and fell asleep over her within the tent.

In his proof, Gordon mentioned Victoria would nonetheless be alive had the police not looked for them after their automobile burst into flames on a motorway close to Bolton.

Jurors have heard how the couple fled the scene and went off grid in a bid to maintain their child after 4 siblings had been taken into care.

Victoria’s physique was found inside a purchasing bag in a disused shed close to Brighton days after the couple had been arrested on February 27, 2023. Her physique was too badly decomposed to find out the reason for dying.

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Marten and Gordon, of no fastened deal with, have denied gross negligence manslaughter and inflicting or permitting her dying between January 4 and February 27, 2023.

Jurors have been informed the defendants had been convicted at an earlier trial of concealing the delivery of a kid and perverting the course of justice.

Decide Mark Lucraft KC despatched jurors out to start deliberating on verdicts at 12.08pm on Monday.