Charred remains of newborn baby's clothes, worn days before she was 'murdered by mother Constance Marten and father' revealed
PHOTOGRAPHS of charred pieces of newborn clothing have been shown in court after a newborn baby was murdered by her mother and father on the run.
Baby Victoria died after she was born taken throughout the country by Constance Marten, 36, and her partner Mark Gordon, 49, it is said.
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The couple the birth hidden in 2022 it then went “off-grid” – living in a “thin and flimsy” tent in the middle of nature winterjurors heard.
Victoria, who spent “much of her life” in one Lidl bag for life, was later found dead in an abandoned shed as if she were “garbage”.
Today, the jury in the manslaughter trial of Marten and Gordon was shown disturbing photos of the child's burned clothing for the first time.
The disturbing photos show the destroyed baby clothes found near the couple's burnt-out car.
Other abandoned objects near the Peugeot The M61 contained items including a Bible, a bag with more than thirty mobile phones, five used nappies and a cat in a litter box.
The defendants spent hundreds of pounds on taxis to take them from the airport North West to Essex, London and the south coast, jurors heard.
On February 19, Pauline Mason and her husband went to Stanmer Park in Brighton for some “fresh air”.
Mrs Mason was in a mobility scooter and her husband was walking when she spotted a tent near Stoney Mere Way.
She told jurors: “I saw a tent, the tent was royal blue, it wasn't very big. I just thought it might be a walker.
“My husband was walking ahead of me and I shouted at him: 'Come here, what is that tent doing there?'
“He said, 'I don't know, someone is sleeping on a cold night'. I was surprised and then continued on my scooter.”
Further along, she saw a “mother and baby”, Ms Mason said.
Prosecutor Tom Little KC asked, “What did you notice about the baby?”
Mrs Mason said: “The mother was focused on the baby, her eyes were completely on that baby and my eyes went from her to the baby.
'The baby was in a sling. She kept her around the baby's head to keep him steady.”
The child was very pale, did not make any sounds and her head was “wobbly”, “floppy” and “unsteady”, the witness said.
She was “very surprised” to see that the child had no hat, socks or boots on and was only wearing a cardigan and leggings.
Mrs Mason said the woman looked tired and felt sorry for her.
A few steps behind was Gordon, she said, adding, “He looked at me and acknowledged that I had looked at the baby and smiled at me.”
Mr Little said: 'At this point, having seen the baby for six to eight seconds, you continued your walk into the fresh air around Stanmer Park. Did you think the baby was still alive?'
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Mrs Mason replied: “I kept thinking about that baby. I thought the color was wrong.”
“There was no color and that baby was white. I really think that baby had died. It was dead.”
Asked if anything else made her think, she said: “It was inappropriately dressed. There was no blanket, no hat, no socks, a thin vest.'
Ms Mason said she continued down the path but looked back at the couple because she “couldn't believe” what she had seen.
Under cross-examination before Gordon, John Femi-Ola asked KC if she could have been mistaken when she saw him.
She replied, “Yes, maybe, but I believe they were connected and as soon as I saw her and him behind her, I knew they were together.”
When she saw the baby, she said: “I was quite shocked when I saw it. I didn't want to believe it.
“I didn't want to know it was dead.”
On February 27, Marten and Gordon were arrested in East Sussex.
Days later, Victoria's body was found in a Lidl supermarket bag covered in rubbish in a disused shed.
Jurors previously viewed CCTV footage of Victoria alive and moving around with the defendants in East Ham, east London, on January 7 last year.
The couple moved on to Whitechapel, where Gordon had bought a two-person tent and camping bedding, including unicorn children's sleeping bag, in Argosthe court was told.
The couple are said to have left a buggy behind and were carrying Argos bags and a Lidl bag when they got into a black taxi shortly after midnight on January 8.
Timeline of the baby 'murder': How a couple evaded the police
CONSTANCE Marten and Mark Gordon are believed to have sparked a 54-day manhunt across Britain after disappearing with their baby Victoria.
Thus began the couple's journey…
December 20, 2022
Marten and Gordon booked into a holiday home in Northumberland, with tenancies ending on Boxing Day. The owner told jurors he found the property in “something of a state” on December 28.
December 24, 2022
The couple claims their daughter was born on this day, but this is disputed by prosecutors.
December 28, 2022
Their Suzuki broke down on the M18 motorway, so a recovery driver took them to a nearby Sainsbury's. There was reportedly no sign of the baby, but the rear and side windows of the car were blocked by clothing.
January 4, 2023
Marten and Gordon checked into the Ibis hotel at Lymm Services in Cheshire and later the AC Hotel in Manchester.
January 5, 2023
The couple's Peugeot 206 catches fire on the M61 motorway in Greater Manchester. Police are launching an urgent investigation after finding Marten's placenta, burner phones and passport, jurors were told.
She and Gordon are taken to a Morrisons store in Bolton by a member of the public before being taken seen on camera surveillance at nearby Bolton Interchange station.
The couple is said to have used Marten's trust for a taxi to Liverpool £400 taxi to Harwich in Essex.
Taxi driver Ali Yaryar, who picked up the couple from Liverpool, told the court: “I don't think the baby had any clothes on.”
January 6, 2023
The couple arrive in Harwich and check into a Premier Inn around 3am. They later moved to the Fryatt Hotel, where they paid in cash, it was said.
January 7, 2023
Marten and Gordon travel by taxi to Colchester and then to East Ham in London. The couple are said to have bought a buggy from Argos and then taken another taxi to Whitechapel.
They ate at a Brick Lane restaurant and then ditched the new buggy. Instead they opted to keep Victoria in a Lidl bag, jurors heard.
January 8, 2023
The couple spend £475 on a taxi from Hornsey to Newhaven in East Sussex and walk to the South Downs National Park. Marten buys snacks and gasoline with cash but there was no trace of the baby, it is said.
January 9, 2023
Both Marten and Gordon claim baby Victoria died on this day – making her 16 days old, the court was told. It is said that there is no way to know for sure.
January 16, 2023
Marten and Gordon are seen pitching a tent in the Stanmer Park nature reserve in the South Downs despite the cold weather.
February 16/17, 2023
The couple are spotted near Hollingbury Golf Course in the Sussex countryside, reportedly pushing a buggy without a baby. Their tent can later be seen in Coldean Lane in Brighton
A driver saw the pair walking towards Stanmer Park with something under Marten's puffer jacket, the court heard.
February 19, 2023
Gordon and Marten were reportedly seen in their tent in the park with a very young baby with a “wobbly” head. Jurors said the baby was not wearing socks, a blanket or a hat.
February 27, 2023
The couple are arrested at Hollingbury Place in Brighton but do not initially reveal Victoria's location, it is said.
March 1, 2023
Tragic Victoria indeed found dead in a Lidl bag covered in rubbish in a disused shed “like rubbish”, the court is told.
The couple were captured on CCTV driving towards the South Downs at around 6.30am and were not seen again until they were spotted in a Texaco garage four days later on January 12.
The defendants, who have no fixed abode, deny that there was manslaughter by gross negligence 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 abuse and causing or permitting the death of a child.
The Old Bailey trial continues.
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