Constance Marten has heavily criticised her “biological family” in an extraordinary cross-examination carried out by her partner and fellow defendant Mark Gordon during their retrial at the Old Bailey.
Gordon, who is not legally trained, led the questioning after a judge allowed it. He is now representing himself in the case and is not using barristers.
The couple stand accused of manslaughter by gross negligence over the death of their fifth child, Victoria, whose body was found in a Brighton shed in March 2023.
They both deny that charge and causing or allowing the death of a child.
They were previously found guilty of concealing Victoria’s birth and preventing the course of justice by not reporting her death, but the jury could not come to a verdict on the outstanding charges. A retrial began in March.
Under questioning by Gordon in court on Thursday, Marten described how “all hell broke loose” with her family when she returned from Peru pregnant with her first child in 2017.
She also said she had become “very fearful” after their car “exploded” in January 2023. She said 15 previous vehicles had also malfunctioned in mysterious circumstances, and that they had found a GPS tracker on at least one of them.
“After I spoke out about a family member of mine… about eight years ago. I feel that this person doesn’t want me alive,” she said.
The jury heard that the couple had been living in a tent in Wales before the birth of their first child.
“The only reason we ended up in Wales was because of this person who I am convinced was behind the explosion of the car,” Marten said.
She said her family had hired two firms of private detectives and she felt it was “like a cat and mouse game”.
She said she believed some of her relatives saw her as an embarrassment and that “some people from privilege think they are above the rules”.
“You are up against these people who will stop at nothing, and have endless resources and connections, and I don’t think I can get away from them,” she told the court.
Marten said that the police manhunt that began after their car caught fire following Victoria’s birth meant that people started recognising them, so they decided to go and sleep in a tent on the South Downs.
“It was just a pitstop for a few days to get away from prying eyes,” she said.
In response to Gordon asking if she intended to cause the baby harm, Marten replied: “No, of course not.”
When asked if the baby was always a priority, she said “absolutely” and that was why they had wanted to keep her for longer as opposed to having her taken away by social services.
“She was a big baby. Healthy. Strong,” she said.
Ms Marten has told the jury Victoria died in the tent after a couple of days, after she fell asleep over her.
In response to Gordon’s questions on this, she said: “I just blacked out. I flopped forward with my forehead on the floor. I guess that could have happened anywhere.”
In the weeks following, she said the couple went on sleeping in the tent, moving around every few days. They carried their dead daughter’s body with them in a Lidl bag.
Marten and Gordon’s other children have been removed by social services.
In her testimony on Thursday, Marten also said that the time with her children before they were taken away had been the “happiest days of our lives”.
“Mark is very hands-on with the kids,” she said.
The trial continues.
