Constance Marten's baby seen on CCTV for first time before tragically dying

30 January 2024 , 17:09

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Constance Marten's baby seen on CCTV for first time before tragically dying

The first glimpse of Constance Marten, 36 and Mark Gordon's, 49, baby girl has been shown to jurors as they stand trial accused of the infant's manslaughter.

The court was shown CCTV which appeared to show baby Victoria swaddled and bundled beneath Marten's coat. The footage showed the dark-haired child dressed in a baby grow with her hands and arms moving around.

Baby Victoria was later found deceased by police inside a Lidl bag and covered in rubbish in a disused shed in Brighton on March 1. Both Marten and Gordon are accused of concealing her birth and living off-grid to keep their daughter after four other children were taken into care.

The trial opened last week, with the court hearing how Greater Manchester Police launched an investigation after discovering their burnt-out car on a motorway with a placenta inside. Taxi driver Colette Franklin took the couple from Harwich to Colchester in Essex for £30 while they were on the run, and told the court how Gordon “slid down his seat” when a police car came towards them.

CCTV captured Marten appearing to cradle and comfort her baby outside a shop in East Ham, London (PA)

Gordon is then alleged to have passed the baby out of another cab to Marten once they'd reached East Ham. Baby Victoria’s fingers were seen in footage to curl and move around.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

Further CCTV of Marten standing in the street showed her unzipping her jacket to reveal the baby, and appeared to be cradling her and comforting her.

The couple were seen inside a German doner kebab shop in East Ham on January 7 with their baby (PA)

Another clip was shown of Gordon buying a buggy in Argos as Marten waited inside a kebab shop. When he returned, Marten was seen putting down the baby in a red scarf.

Joel Smith, prosecuting, said: “You can see while Ms Marten is assembling the buggy the baby’s arms moving to her left.” A barrister for Gordon, who sat in the dock covering his face as jurors were shown the footage, was seen speaking to him briefly before requesting proceedings be paused as the defendant was finding it “quite stressful”.

They are charged with perverting the course of justice, concealing the birth of a child, child cruelty, and causing or allowing the death of a child (PA)

The defendants, of no fixed address, deny manslaughter by gross negligence of the little girl between January 4 and February 27 last year.

They are also charged with 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.

Susie Beever