Jurors at the Old Bailey got a chilling glimpse inside the grim world of Constance Marten and partner Mark Gordon today. A tent and sleeping bags, identical to those used by the couple, were set up in court as part of their ongoing manslaughter trial over the heartbreaking death of their baby daughter, Victoria.
Inside the ‘Flimsy’ Tent Where Baby Victoria Died
The jury was given a private look at the makeshift shelter, recreating the harsh conditions Marten, 37, and Gordon, 50, allegedly forced on their newborn while living “off-grid” on the South Downs in freezing early 2023. Prosecutors say the baby either succumbed to hypothermia or was accidentally smothered during co-sleeping inside the “flimsy” tent amid biting cold and rain.
The court heard the couple deliberately concealed the birth of their fifth child after their previous four had been taken into care. On January 5, 2023, following a fire that destroyed their Peugeot 206 on the M61 near Bolton, the pair abandoned their belongings and fled.
Taxi Driver’s Shocking Testimony: “I Heard a Baby Crying”
Taxi driver Hassan Guzel testified that he drove the couple from North West London to Newhaven, East Sussex in the early hours of January 8. Initially, they wanted to go to Portsmouth but changed destination mid-journey. Guzel became suspicious when he heard what he first thought was a kitten’s meow – but was actually a baby crying.
“I know the noise a baby makes and this is the noise that a baby makes when it is looking for attention,” Guzel told the court. “I thought, why did they not tell me about this?”
He dropped them off at 4:56am in a deserted area with no other cars, raising alarm bells about their situation with a newborn in such isolation.
Neighbour Heard Baby Cry for Two Nights Running
Another witness, Sarah Hidden from Seaford, East Sussex, told jurors she heard a baby crying loudly on two separate nights between January 16 and 27. Walking her dog nearby, she saw a couple pitching a tent and described the cries as “high-pitched” and urgent — definitely not animal noises.
She confirmed the cries came from a spot with no nearby houses, suggesting the couple and baby were living in dangerous isolation.
Baby Victoria Found Dead in Shopping Bag
Tragically, baby Victoria’s body was found stuffed in a shopping bag for life inside a disused shed near Brighton soon after the couple were arrested on February 27, 2023. Prosecutors claim Marten and Gordon failed to seek medical help and continued to hide the birth and death.
Both deny charges of gross negligence manslaughter and causing or allowing the death of a child between January 4 and February 27, 2023. The pair, with no fixed address, have also been convicted in an earlier trial of concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice.
The trial continues at the Old Bailey as this shocking case unfolds.
