Constance Marten posed as a freelance journalist while on the run with her newborn baby, a court has heard during a retrial at the Old Bailey into the death of her infant daughter, Victoria.

The 37-year-old aristocrat and her partner Mark Gordon, 50, are accused of gross negligence manslaughter and causing or allowing the death of their baby, who tragically died after the couple fled authorities in January 2023.

Jurors were told that baby Victoria is believed to have been born at a cottage in Cumbria in late December 2022, and that the couple attempted to keep her birth hidden from authorities, fearing she would be taken into care — as had happened with their four other children.

Marten Allegedly Used Alias During Escape

On Wednesday (March 12), the jury heard a statement from Cathy Lloyd, a hotel receptionist at the Ibis Hotel at Lymm Services in Warrington, where Marten checked in around 4am on January 4, 2023.

Ms Lloyd told the court that Marten used the alias “Caroline Marten” and claimed she was a freelance journalist, describing her as “extremely well-spoken,” “genuine,” and “very tired.”

“She told me she had lost her credit card and asked if she could pay in cash,” Ms Lloyd said. “She mentioned she lived in Hackney and had driven a long way, saying she just wanted to go home.”

The receptionist added that Marten engaged in friendly conversation about her brother being in a play and even gave Ms Lloyd an email address and phone number, though she never followed up.

Moments later, Mark Gordon reportedly appeared in reception, described as “moody” and “unnerving.” Ms Lloyd stated she never saw the couple together or witnessed any indication that a baby was with them.

Death of Baby Victoria

The court heard that Marten and Gordon allegedly carried baby Victoria in a shopping bag-for-life or under a coat while moving across the country in taxis and staying off-grid in a tent on the South Downs.

Prosecutors allege that Victoria died from hypothermia or was accidentally smothered during co-sleeping in the flimsy shelter. Her body was later discovered in a disused shed near Brighton, wrapped in a bag with rubbish, after the pair were arrested on February 27, 2023, in Golf Drive, Brighton.

The day before checking into the Ibis Hotel, Marten reportedly received £3,400 from a trust fund, highlighting the prosecution’s claims that she had access to money and resources but still failed to provide for her baby.

The couple abandoned their Peugeot vehicle after it caught fire on the M60 near Bolton on January 5, prompting police to launch a nationwide search after a placenta was found in the car wreckage.

Defendants Deny Charges

Marten and Gordon, of no fixed address, deny gross negligence manslaughter and causing or allowing the death of a child between January 4 and February 27, 2023.

Jurors were previously told the couple had already been convicted at an earlier trial of concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice.

The retrial at the Old Bailey continues.