UK - Constance Marten & Mark Gordon charged, Newborn (found deceased), Bolton Greater Manchester, 5 Jan 2023 #5

[JumpingFrog]

Recap as Constance Marten seen in court for first time in trial over daughter's death

Live updates as Constance Marten and Mark Gordon trial enters fifth day.

www.theargus.co.uk

 

[OliverK]

FWIW CM may have slept a lot during those long taxi journeys.

 

[OliverK]

Recap as Constance Marten seen in court for first time in trial over daughter's death

Live updates as Constance Marten and Mark Gordon trial enters fifth day.

www.theargus.co.uk

11:59am
Taxi driver told police about the couple
Mr Mohamud said he had concern's for the baby's welfare after the couple left the taxi.
He said: "The more I thought about it, the more I felt concerned for the baby. I did know whether to call 999 as I did not know if it was an emergency."
He saw some police who he told about the couple he had just had in his car.
They said they were busy with an incident and it was not there area, the court heard.
Mr Mohamud received a call about a week later from police about the couple.


The police "Sorry - not our area" response will probably make the headlines, but what is important for the jury to know is what exactly did Mr Mohamud see or hear that made him have concerns for the baby's welfare. (He probably has explained this in court. The standard of reporting in the Argus isn't great. Good that they are doing it live, though.)

 

[JennieM]

Have there been any reports of them buying nappies?

 

[JennieM]

11:59am

Taxi driver told police about the couple​

Mr Mohamud said he had concern's for the baby's welfare after the couple left the taxi.
He said: "The more I thought about it, the more I felt concerned for the baby. I did not know whether to call 999 as I did not know if it was an emergency."
He saw some police who he told about the couple he had just had in his car.
They said they were busy with an incident and it was not there area, the court heard.
Mr Mohamud received a call about a week later from police about the couple.

11:52am

Taxi driver felt 'uneasy' and 'concerned' for baby's welfare​

Cab driver Abdirisakh Mohamud said he became "suspicious" after picking the couple up at around 3am in Whitechapel, London, on January 7, 2023.
The court heard that Gordon asked the driver if there was a camera in the taxi.
"He did not look happy and asked if I was sharing the conversation."
In a written statement read out in court, Mr Mohamud said he had an "uneasy feeling" and ended the journey early.
The fare was £30 but they said they only had £20 in cash which Mr Mohamud accepted, the court heard.

Recap as Constance Marten seen in court for first time in trial over daughter's death

Live updates as Constance Marten and Mark Gordon trial enters fifth day.

www.theargus.co.uk

 

[JennieM]

12:27pm

In the courtroom​

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were speaking to each other during much of the court case so far.

Recap as Constance Marten seen in court for first time in trial over daughter's death

Live updates as Constance Marten and Mark Gordon trial enters fifth day.

www.theargus.co.uk

 

[bobbymkii]

12:27pm

In the courtroom​

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were speaking to each other during much of the court case so far.

Recap as Constance Marten seen in court for first time in trial over daughter's death

Live updates as Constance Marten and Mark Gordon trial enters fifth day.

www.theargus.co.uk

If Julia Quenzler and/or Elizabeth Cook weren't already in court this morning I hope they've since hopped onto the Central line in time to get us a new courtroom sketch of the pair of them later on.

 

[JennieM]

What do they talk about? Baby Victoria? The court case? Their prison conditions? Just catching up?

 

[JumpingFrog]

Wondering how long they will stay in the court room (throughout the whole trial) together if they continue interacting with one another

 

[bobbymkii]

12:27pm

In the courtroom​

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were speaking to each other during much of the court case so far.

Recap as Constance Marten seen in court for first time in trial over daughter's death

Live updates as Constance Marten and Mark Gordon trial enters fifth day.

www.theargus.co.uk

the journalist initially said "whispering." Then changed it to "speaking" (as quoted in your post above), now it's been changed back to "whispering"

 

[Alyce]

Have there been any reports of them buying nappies?

this report is clearer so I've deleted the first one




The driver, Ali Yaryar, gave evidence over video link

“We stopped off at a service station and they stayed in the car but when I came back,
the lady went inside to buy nappies and sandwiches and a soft drink,” he said in his evidence.

Cries of runaway aristocrat Constance Marten’s ‘brand new’ child were ‘traumatising’, court hears

A dog walker from Harwich in Essex has told a court he ‘could not walk away’ from the cries of a baby belonging to Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon.

www.lbc.co.uk

 

[Cardgame]

the journalist initially said "whispering." Then changed it to "speaking" (as quoted in your post above), now it's been changed back to "whispering"

What are they, in the back row of a history lesson?!

 

[JennieM]

What are they, in the back row of a history lesson?!

Also that they have been reprimanded before for this, but they carry on anyway not caring.

 

[rockthecasbah]

Also that they have been reprimanded before for this, but they carry on anyway not caring.

What options do the court have if they continue?

 

[bobbymkii]

What options do the court have if they continue?

I suppose that would depend on how truly disruptive their behaviour is to the proceedings

 

[JennieM]

this report is clearer so I've deleted the first one




The driver, Ali Yaryar, gave evidence over video link

“We stopped off at a service station and they stayed in the car but when I came back,
the lady went inside to buy nappies and sandwiches and a soft drink,” he said in his evidence.

Cries of runaway aristocrat Constance Marten’s ‘brand new’ child were ‘traumatising’, court hears

A dog walker from Harwich in Essex has told a court he ‘could not walk away’ from the cries of a baby belonging to Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon.

www.lbc.co.uk

They’ve done all these really long taxi journeys, there is the footage of them at the cafe, I think there are no known reports of them changing nappies? And only a very few reports of them feeding the baby.

 

[JennieM]

I think baby Victoria died of cold and hunger IMO.

 

[OliverK]

Wondering how long they will stay in the court room (throughout the whole trial) together if they continue interacting with one another

They're allowed to talk to each other quietly in the dock, so long as they don't disrupt the proceedings. They are the two principals, jointly charged, responsible for giving instructions to their respective legal teams, including on what questions should be put to witnesses, and how they should be put. Or perhaps a witness says something that contradicts what the prosecutor said in his opening speech and the defence barrister hasn't noticed, or they feel a witness should be called back, etc. etc. "Shall we ask for an adjournment because XYZ?" A fast response might be called for, so they confer with each other live in court. All completely allowed.

If they want to talk about anything else too, that's also allowed. Legal privilege. Not exactly a good idea to talk about last night's football match or something totally unrelated to the case, because that might make them miss something important - and if it's obvious, the jury might make inferences. But this is all up to them, so long as they don't play dots and boxes or five in a row, or spin those handheld spinny things like those Republican senators did at Trump's impeachment trial, which might be considered disrespectful. But whispering - fine.

 

[OliverK]

I think baby Victoria died of cold and hunger IMO.

That she was carried in that bag, as seems to be the case, doesn't look good for the defence. But...how long was she in there for at any one time? Will there be any evidence other than possible verbal testimony from the defendants supporting the view that she was fine after the last time she was in there? IMO these are the kinds of thing the jury will want to know. Maybe she even suffocated in there, if things were put on top of her.

 

[rightsaidfred]

Did we ever find out why they went to Allison Road, Harringey? It's a purely residential road, so I assume they went to see someone to ask for help but were refused. I wonder if we'll ever find out who that was.

It's a shame they weren't a bit quicker thinking, inviting them in, popping out to the shops "for some milk" and calling the police...