UK - Constance Marten & Mark Gordon charged, Newborn (found deceased), Bolton Greater Manchester, 5 Jan 2023 #6

[DavidAT]

Might have they been hanging about in the Brighton area until she became pregnant again? I don't know whether this makes sense. It's just an idea that came into my head. There's no evidence for it. But if they felt as if they were in limbo, this could have been something that would make them feel as though they had got out of it.

 

[crespo29]

There is a good podcast on the background to the Constance Marten, by Strange Stories UK called Constance Marten & Mark Gordon part 1. It goes into Marten's family history and how she met with Gordon. I quite enjoyed it.

 

[rightsaidfred]

Birth certificate- required for starting school, registering with GP, getting passport obviously. Child benefit maybe?

Seems easy enough to dodge if you home school, are an anti vaxxer (or use a private GP? We know CM made claims of being against medical interventions) and don't go on holiday abroad (too risky anyway)

I suspect the £25 a week child benefit is something they felt they could live without, if they would even have been eligible with CM's various trust funds and the income cap on child benefit.

It seems like the sort of thing you could live without if you're prepared to make some sacrifices and were aspiring to an alternative lifestyle. If the aspirations for an alternative lifestyle were mixed in with sovereign citizen conspiracy theories, then they might have thought that a birth registration had overall disadvantages, as in this case.

Man who refused to register son's birth loses high court case

Father said he did not want his baby to be controlled by the British state

www.theguardian.com

MOO.

 

[rightsaidfred]

There is a good podcast on the background to the Constance Marten, by Strange Stories UK called Constance Marten & Mark Gordon part 1. It goes into Marten's family history and how she met with Gordon. I quite enjoyed it.

Thanks for flagging this, this is the link for anyone interested, I haven't listened to it yet

Strange Stories UK - Strange Stories : Constance Marten & Mark Gordon. Part 1, The background.

The Constance Marten and Mark Gordon trial is at present being held at the Old Bailey, it started January 2024 and is scheduled to finish on 8 March. It seems to have caused great interest and a number of podcasts have been commissioned by newspapers and the BBC. This podcast is lo-fi and is not...

podcasts.google.com

 

[DavidAT]

My feeling is that they wouldn't have handed themselves in.

Why would they, if they knew they'd lose Victoria that very second? The whole endeavour would have been pointless.

I think they would have kept running, waited for the publicity to die down, and then re-emerged with false identities, or have left the country. Plenty of people go missing and are never found. Often the assumption is that they're dead, but they occasionally turn up alive. John Darwin (of canoe fame) is perhaps one of the more famous; he even got a passport in a false name (and who's to know what happened to Lord Lucan!). They were estranged from everyone, who was to notice they were even missing? As with the case of Margaret Fleming, it can be a long time before anyone notices.

Then, perhaps, in their fantasy, re-emerge years down the line with a healthy, happy Victoria and a younger sibling or two, thus showing the world that they were right all along. At last! Evidence that the problem all along was SS and CM's family.

But no one was ever meant to know that Victoria existed; the car fire is the only reason we ever knew, and it was a sliding doors moment.

If they'd lived as home schooling, anti vaxxer parents whose child remained robustly healthy and never needed medical treatment, would anyone ever have noticed that the child didn't have a birth certificate? How often are parents actually asked for their birth certificate? (Genuine question, I'm not a parent, so I don't know).

Of course it's a fantasy, and the reality is that history would have repeated itself from their time with baby FF, GG and HH, but it's a fantasy I could see them concocting in their heads.

MOO

Nobody would ask for the BC.
Hospital-born babies go on national insurance records, albeit without their own NI number, before they go home from the hospital, but in this scenario the child wouldn't have done this and it would be difficult for her parents to claim any state benefit for her. Without a BC she probably wouldn't be able to get a passport either.
I reckon the plan was for the baby to be born in Ireland but they left it too late. Few or no countries have SS as tough as Britain's, at least where non-Romany families are concerned.

 

[Alyce]

There is a good podcast on the background to the Constance Marten, by Strange Stories UK called Constance Marten & Mark Gordon part 1. It goes into Marten's family history and how she met with Gordon. I quite enjoyed it.

Mmm - not too impressed. Two minutes in, he's already got CM's mother wrong !
The rest, so far, he is just reading stuff from media articles. No inside info. I think anyone on here who has followed the case will know at least as much and probably a lot more.

I gave up in the end. Far too many mistakes.

 

[Alyce]

But, would they just not bury the body and move somehwere else to blend in? It wouldn't have lasted long as MG was already in breach of SRO requirements, but still, burying the body would be the best way to hide it.

But once you bury a body you run the risk of it being found and - possibly, if it's found in time - evidence can be obtained, which might not be favourable to the person or persons who buried the body.
CM talked about wanting to keep the body as evidence. Whereas she may very well have wanted to keep the body to prevent evidence being found.
Always interesting, the contrast between what people say and what they really mean.

All just MOO of course.

 

[EricAcaciaAvenue]

But once you bury a body you run the risk of it being found and - possibly, if it's found in time - evidence can be obtained, which might not be favourable to the person or persons who buried the body.
CM talked about wanting to keep the body as evidence. Whereas she may very well have wanted to keep the body to prevent evidence being found.
Always interesting, the contrast between what people say and what they really mean.

All just MOO of course.

I think the argument is that if you bury a (tiny) body somewhere suitably obscure, it is more likely to remain concealed than you are as an adult needing food, shelter etc

 

[Alyce]

Birth certificate- required for starting school, registering with GP, getting passport obviously. Child benefit maybe?

Home schooling would likely be their choice. No GP, they don't like any medical intervention.
No plan to move out of the UK ( or at a push, go to NI and then down to Eire ).
Child benefit not needed with her money ( although to be fair, she does like to try and claim whatever she can )

 

[DavidAT]

But, would they just not bury the body and move somehwere else to blend in? It wouldn't have lasted long as MG was already in breach of SRO requirements, but still, burying the body would be the best way to hide it.

Only if they wanted to keep open the option of its later examination.
The most effective way to avoid its possible unwanted discovery would be to destroy it. Which is easy in a purely physical sense. It wouldn't have been at all easy emotionally for anybody with at least a shred of humanity. Although it would have been doable, even if emotionally tough, if they were sufficiently rationally committed to staying on the run. I suspect there may have been a strong element of daze in the way they lived for the several weeks before they were arrested.

ISTR MG said something like "It's natural" to her, in the doorcam footage, interpretable as "It's natural for you to feel out of it, the way you do, given that Victoria died."

 

[DianaWW]

Updates as trial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon continues

Live updates as the trial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon continues

www.theargus.co.uk

So they talked about rain and saw a babygro that was soiled, but nobody knows what with....and that's it for today

Hopefully we'll get a bit more info from the write-ups later.

 

[crespo29]

Argus live trial report has kicked in again, but almost as soon as it started the trial has been adjourned until Monday. There was only an hour of court as they sent most of the day on legal arguments again.

 

[Twittens]

Foodbank: odd how the jurors have seen film of them outside the golf club building and heard a witness who heard noise in the woods, but they haven't seen film of them going to the food bank or heard from witnesses who worked there. What supplies did they take? Were they carrying a bag? Was there a smell? That might possibly help give a view on the date of death. It'd certainly help with their movements. Did they keep glancing at cameras? What were the first and last dates they visited?

A lot of the questions you're asking are answered in this article from last year. I doubt there was CCTV footage, just observant volunteers.

Constance & partner seen at food bank without baby days before arrest

 

[DavidAT]

Gross negligence manslaughter:

Homicide: Murder, manslaughter, infanticide and causing or allowing the death or serious injury of a child or vulnerable adult | The Crown Prosecution Service

www.cps.gov.uk

"The elements of this offence were stated concisely by the President of the Queen's Bench Division in Rudling [2016] EWCA Crim 741 at paragraph 18 as follows: "the breach of an existing duty of care which it is reasonably foreseeable gives rise to a serious and obvious risk of death and does, in fact, cause death in circumstances where, having regard to the risk of death, the conduct of the defendant was so bad in all the circumstances as to amount to a criminal act or omission"."

(BBM)

There's also the Crown Court Compendium (guidance for judges): see 19.4:

https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Crown-Court-Compendium-Part-I-June-2023-updated-Feb-2024.pdf

"The defendant's breach of duty “must give rise to (1) a risk of death, that was (2) obvious and (3) serious. These are objective facts, which are not dependent upon the state of mind or knowledge of the defendant. If there is a real issue as to their existence, each must be proved by relevant and admissible evidence.” per Sir Brian Leveson P in Kuddus.1" "

...

"Note that trials will typically involve a great deal of expert evidence [...] The Court in Sellu emphasised how important the experts’ evidence will be in assisting the jury in determining whether D’s degree of negligence crossed the high threshold necessary for it to constitute gross negligence. Care will be needed to guard against the jury’s role as the ultimate decision-maker from being usurped by the experts." ...

"Trials of Gross Negligence Manslaughter often involve highly technical, expert-heavy evidence. ""

Whereas in the current case, the prosecution's answer to whether the soiling of the babygro that was so conscientiously passed to the jury for their inspection was caused by blood or dirt was basically "Dunno".

 

[DavidAT]

A lot of the questions you're asking are answered in this article from last year. I doubt there was CCTV footage, just observant volunteers.

Constance & partner seen at food bank without baby days before arrest

Thanks for this.
Agreed, that particular foodbank may well not have had CCTV. It didn't in 2022 when it was burgled twice:

Burglars trash community cafe and food bank at Brighton church

Burglars trashed a community cafe and foodbank at a Brighton church. Community meetings at St George’s Church in Kemp Town

www.brightonandhovenews.org

 

[rockthecasbah]

Y

Home schooling would likely be their choice. No GP, they don't like any medical intervention.
No plan to move out of the UK ( or at a push, go to NI and then down to Eire ).
Child benefit not needed with her money ( although to be fair, she does like to try and claim whatever she can )

Yes I meant needed in general. Agree, doubt she would do any of those things

 

[CaptainNancy]

Gross negligence manslaughter:

Homicide: Murder, manslaughter, infanticide and causing or allowing the death or serious injury of a child or vulnerable adult | The Crown Prosecution Service

www.cps.gov.uk

"The elements of this offence were stated concisely by the President of the Queen's Bench Division in Rudling [2016] EWCA Crim 741 at paragraph 18 as follows: "the breach of an existing duty of care which it is reasonably foreseeable gives rise to a serious and obvious risk of death and does, in fact, cause death in circumstances where, having regard to the risk of death, the conduct of the defendant was so bad in all the circumstances as to amount to a criminal act or omission"."

(BBM)

There's also the Crown Court Compendium (guidance for judges): see 19.4:

https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Crown-Court-Compendium-Part-I-June-2023-updated-Feb-2024.pdf

"The defendant's breach of duty “must give rise to (1) a risk of death, that was (2) obvious and (3) serious. These are objective facts, which are not dependent upon the state of mind or knowledge of the defendant. If there is a real issue as to their existence, each must be proved by relevant and admissible evidence.” per Sir Brian Leveson P in Kuddus.1" "

...

"Note that trials will typically involve a great deal of expert evidence [...] The Court in Sellu emphasised how important the experts’ evidence will be in assisting the jury in determining whether D’s degree of negligence crossed the high threshold necessary for it to constitute gross negligence. Care will be needed to guard against the jury’s role as the ultimate decision-maker from being usurped by the experts." ...

"Trials of Gross Negligence Manslaughter often involve highly technical, expert-heavy evidence. ""

Whereas in the current case, the prosecution's answer to whether the soiling of the babygro that was so conscientiously passed to the jury for their inspection was caused by blood or dirt was basically "Dunno".

However, the pathologist's evidence was that there were no signs of violence or disease

 

[rightsaidfred]

I'm updating my timeline again, seems like a good moment as we're onto a new thread, first time in a couple of weeks as the Old Bailey fire etc means we don't seem to have had much lately! New changes in bold. If I've missed anything let me know so I can edit it in.

- 1974 - MG born in Birmingham, the youngest of 7 children, to mum Sylvia
- ~1985 - MG, 11, and family move to Hollywood, Florida
- 26th May 1987 - CM born, lives at Crichel Down, a stately home in Dorset. Her parents are Napier and Virginie Marten (nee Camu, later de Selliers)
- 1989 - MG convicted of rape, age 14
- 1996 - Napier Marten, CM's father, leaves the family, heads to Australia, and leaves behind his 'materialistic' life. He variously has an out-of-body experience with Aborigines, goes whale watching, lives in a lorry, works as a chef and trains in Indian head massage. Unknown when he returned to the UK, but it's 2013 at the latest.
- 2005 (presumed) - CM leaves school - St Mary's Shaftesbury
- 6-18 months in 2006-7 (dates unclear, reports vary) - CM joins TB Joshua's SCOAN cult in Nigeria, which is later linked to sex abuse. Friends report she's not the same afterwards.
- 2008 - CM starts studying Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Leeds
- Jan 2009 - CM listed as Tatler 'Babe of the Month'
- 2010 - MG released after 20 years and deported to UK
- 2010-11 - CM on a year abroad in Cairo, studying Arabic. She was, presumably, there when the Arab Spring / Egyptian Revolution happened in Cairo in Jan-Feb 2011. A friend, Noisette Tahoun, she met during this time, and stayed in touch with afterwards, later suggests she had a history of unhealthy relationships, referring to a relationship with a "vulgar" man, and that "when she falls in love she doesn't listen to anyone". It's unclear who or when this vulgar man was.
- 2012 - CM graduates from Leeds with a 2:1
- Aug 2012-June 2013 - CM works as a researcher for Al Jazeera in London, and pitches an idea for a documentary about TB Joshua
- 2013 - CM's childhood stately home at Crichel Down is sold. CM's father reported to be working as a tree surgeon, having passed the estate on early to his eldest son. At the time of CM's disappearance, he is reported to be a film and music producer.
- June-2013-14 - CM works in three short term jobs, two lasting less than a month and one lasting three months; appears to be out of work
- 2014 - CM does a NCTJ course in court reporting. I think this is possible a MOOC rather than anything terribly in depth.
- 2016 - CM leaves E15 Acting School and is listed as a graduate. It is unclear what year she started in - it could have been a second BA starting in 2013 (which would explain her work history) or an MA starting 2015.
- 2016 - CM and MG meet in a shop. MG is reported to live near her and be working as a labourer. CM rapidly starts to cut off family and friends.
- Approximately 2017 - CM and MG marry in Peru, but claim that this marriage was not recognised in the UK. No proof of this marriage is produced, nor whether it was a marriage legally recognised in Peru.
- June 2017 - CM pregnant, presents at a hospital in London, seeking antenatal care for the first time, says she's living in a campervan
- Sept 2017 - SS issues an alert because they can't locate her
- late 2017 - CM goes to a hospital in Wales in early labour, fake Irish accent, claims to be a traveller called Isabella O'Brien, and living in a campervan nearby. She says she lives in Leeds but is avoiding her family. MG pretends to be a friend, Mr Aymer, borrowing a surname from CM's sister-in-law.
- unspecified time later, it emerges they were living, with a baby, in a flimsy festival style tent with black bin bags and bottles of urine.
- Interim care order made, and CM and the first baby (FF) go into a mother and baby foster care placement. CM warned about the danger of falling asleep with baby on her. It's unclear if she leaves this foster placement with FF, or when GG is born.
- Jan 2020 - local authority starts care proceedings. CM claims in police interview that SS removed her children after MG was blamed for her falling out of a window. She also revealed that her family were involved with SS and had hired private investigators "trying to get involved with my children".
- 4 Feb 2020 - CM posts a facebook album with three children entitled "my love sprogs", with different children labelled bty / cof / dav. IMO she posted that in the hope that it would make it easier for the children to find her on social media when they're older. Many of her facebook friends express surprise that she has any children at all. One of the comments suggests that a picture is taken in Ilford, East London.
- Some point between Jan and June 2020 - baby HH is born
- June 2020 - MG and CM refuse a placement in a residential unit, so an emergency care and separation order is made for all three children.
- Unknown date around this time - CM and MG are evicted from a property in Ilford.
- August 2020 - MG and CM are reported to be living on the Coldharbour Estate, Greenwich / Eltham, though it's unknown when they moved in. Neighbours report shouting, and the couple spending long periods of time elsewhere. NB: I believe the same property is variously referred to as being on the "Coldharbour Estate, Greenwich" and "in Eltham", though there is a possiblity there were two homes very close together.
- May 2021 - CM pregnant again with baby II, refuses entry to a social worker, SS arrange a scan, CM disappears and claims she's having private healthcare. Date of birth unclear, but she later leaves hospital without II, despite having been told that if she does that the baby will be recorded as abandoned. The next day she returns to the hospital but is upset to be refused entry because she wouldn't take a covid test. She tells SS that she and MG are 'naturalists' who disagree with any medical intervention.
- August 2021, CM's brother Max Marten marries Ruth Aymer, and the wedding is featured in Vogue. CM is nowhere to be seen due to the estrangement.
- 28 Jan 2022 - care and placement orders made for all four children (adopted, or SGO, presumably) at which point they will have known that they have lost all hope of getting those children back.
- March / April(?) 2022 CM pregnant again, conceals pregnancy
- August / September 2022 (sources differ) - MG and CM withdraw £15,000 cash, are evicted, and leave their property in Coldharbour Estate Greenwich / Eltham (they were evicted, but IMO: this coincides with when her bump started to show). They weren't paying rent, and left smoke damage and a collapsed ceiling behind them.
- September - December 2022 - live a nomadic lifestyle, staying in a series of Airbnbs
- 19 Dec 2022 - MG reports to a police station in Sheffield, presumably as part of his sex offender licence conditions.
- 20-26 Dec 2022 - CM & MG stay in holiday cottage in Northumberland
- 22 Dec - CM receives £15,590 from trust fund
- 24 Dec 2022 - CM claims Victoria was born, though this is disputed.
- 26 Dec 2022 - MG reports to a police station in Leeds
- 28 Dec 2022 - Car, a Peugeot 206, breaks down on M61 Greater Manchester (the podcast states this was a Suzuki in M18 Yorkshire). Recovery crew think they're living in the car but don't see a baby. Car towed to Leeds.
- 3 Jan 2023 - CM receives £3400 from a different trust fund
- 4 Jan 2023 - CM & MG check into hotel in Lymm, Cheshire and then later into a different hotel in Manchester
- 5 Jan 2023 - Peugeot 206 car catches fire on the M61 near J4 Bolton. CM was driving as MG couldn't drive. Around 6.30pm CM and MG depart leaving behind a passport, placenta, 30 'burner' phones, bible, clothes, 5 used nappies, and a cat in a box. The manhunt begins. Local man called Waiwai Balai gives them a lift to Bolton city centre. 20.02 spotted on CCTV at Bolton Bus Interchange. Take a taxi from Bolton to Liverpool, then a separate taxi from near Liverpool Royal Hospital to Harwich. Speculation is that, as both Liverpool and Harwich are ports, they are trying to leave the country but are hamstrung because MG doesn't have a passport and CM lost hers in the car fire.
- 6 Jan 2023 - CM and MG check in at 3am in Premier Inn Harwich. After departing, staff notice a strong odour that they liken to rotting flesh. WS speculation: this was trench foot (MG was seen with bags over his shoes) or a post partum issue (infection?) from CM. They had had consistent access to bathrooms, so simply body odour is less likely. They move to the Fryatt Hotel that night.
- 7 Jan 2023 - Check out of Fryatt Hotel in Harwich at 7am, then take a taxi to Colchester, then a taxi to East Ham, where they are seen 10.30-12.30. They take a taxi to Whitechapel Road, arriving at 6.15pm. Eat a meal at a restaurant on Brick Lane. Baby seen moving. MG buys a buggy at Argos, along with some camping gear. Try to get a taxi, fail, dump buggy, put baby in Lidl bag.
- 8 Jan 2023 - Shortly after midnight they ask taxi driver Abdirisakh Mohamud to take them to Tesco Extra Enfield. CM claims to be a Muslim using a hood and facemask as a hijab. MG claims to be doing the same because of a hair problem. The taxi driver becomes uneasy and drops the couple off prematurely on Green Lanes - presumably around the Green Lanes / Allison Road junction as they then catch another taxi, driven by Hasan Guzel, departing at 1.25am. During the journey, her phone pings and she asks to change the destination from Portsmouth to Newhaven. The baby is heard "meowing". They arrive at Newhaven at 4.56am. Seen sheltering from rain under an underpass around 6am. CM buys snacks at Texaco Newhaven. 6.15am - seen walking along Cantercrow Hill towards fields with bag and tent.
- 9-11 Jan 2023 - CM claims baby died, changing her story during questioning. CM claims she died when she was in her coat, and CM fell asleep, with the inference being that she suffocated. They both say they attempted resuscitation, but heard a "bubbling" noise from the lungs.
- Unknown date, after the baby died; CM says they discussed what to tell the police; MG told her to say it was a cot death, she was put to sleep on her front, not being held by CM, and when she woke up the baby had died.
- Unknown date / extended period: they carry the baby around in a Lidl bag, but variously claim the bag became too heavy to carry, that soil was added to mask the smell, and that they considered burying her but were too weak to dig.
- 12 Jan, just after 6am - CM purchases petrol and snacks from the same Texaco in Newhaven. She later claims this was because she considered cremating the baby.
- 19 Jan - Napier Marten issues appeal for CM to turn herself in
- 21 Jan - Karen Satchell, half sister of MG, goes to press saying he was wrongly convicted of rape
- 16 Jan 2023 - 11.45am Nicholas Frost, a dog walker sees tent and MG getting out of it at Stanmer Park Nature Reserve. It is not there a week later.
- Unknown date between 16-27 January, 10.30-2.30 - witness Sarah Hidden states she saw CM and MG in Seaford, on the path between Cuckmere Haven and South Barn car park, with them emerging from the buses. She states she was woken by a baby crying on the preceding two nights, sleeping with the windows open despite a (loud??) winter storm. She believes the sound to have been coming from around Seaford Head golf course.
- 8 Feb - Virginie de Selliers, CM's mum and a psychotherapist, issues an appeal for her to come forward
- 16/17 Feb 2023 - seen near Hollingbury Golf Course with a buggy but no baby
- 17 Feb - tent seen Coldean Lane / Stanmer Park, Brighton (Coldean Lane runs through the park). Sighting in Stanmer Park around midday by witness Mary Thomsen.
- 18 Feb - sighting of CM and MG around Coldean Lane, with CM appearing to have something under her jacket
- 19 Feb - CM and MG seen in Stanmer Park with blue tent, and a 'floppy headed' baby with no clothes. The witness, Pauline Mason, states in court that the baby was so pale she believes it was already dead. Her husband Michael Mason stated they went back later to look for evidence in bins and hedgerows, such as nappies or discarded clothing. However, they did not report the sighting until 1st March. Mr Mason also disclosed that Pauline was convinced that she saw the 1986 Babes in the Wood murder victims. WS member consensus: Pauline is not a convincing witness.
- 19 Feb - MG's mother Sylvia, who lives in Florida, goes to the papers saying he's a 'good boy', that he and CM had married in secret some time ago (no evidence of this is ever produced) and suggesting they could have been kidnapped.
- 20 Feb - CM and MG seen scavenging in bins around Hollingbury Golf Course
- 22 Feb - CM and MG attend Brighton Food Bank. They receive some food, but don't ask for baby items, which are available.
- 27 Feb 2023 - CM and MG go to Mulberry's Convenience Store and buy £20 worth of food in cash but no baby items. Shortly afterwards, they are arrested in Brighton, 9.35pm, smelling 'very unpleasant'. They refuse to tell police where the baby is.
- 1 March 2023 - Baby Victoria's remains found at the back of a disused shed in allotments off Lyncht Close, Brighton, so decomposed that the sex could not be identified visually and the post mortem could not identify a cause of death. She is in a Lidl bag, wrapped in sheets, with cans, bottles and leaves.

Sources: as before, but the additional sources for the update are as follows

Constance Marten says Mark Gordon told her to say baby died of cot death

She also told detectives she debated handing herself in two weeks after their baby died.

www.bbc.co.uk

'Social services took Constance Marten's other children away'

Constance Marten , 36, told detectives she believed social services had intervened after a family court blamed her co-defendant Mark Gordon, 49, for the 'accident'.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Recap: Constance Marten describes Mark Gordon as 'her soulmate'

Live updates from the Old Bailey as the trial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon continues.

www.theargus.co.uk

Aristocrat's baby found dead in bag beneath cans of Coke and Budweiser, court hears

A jury has been shown police bodycam footage of the moment a baby was found in a Lidl bag beneath litter in a disused shed.

www.theargus.co.uk

I'm updating my timeline again, now we're just about at the end of the prosecution. New changes in bold. If I've missed anything let me know so I can edit it in.

- 1974 - MG born in Birmingham, the youngest of 7 children, to mum Sylvia
- ~1985 - MG, 11, and family move to Hollywood, Florida
- 26th May 1987 - CM born, lives at Crichel Down, a stately home in Dorset. Her parents are Napier and Virginie Marten (nee Camu, later de Selliers)
- 1989 - MG convicted of rape, age 14
- 1996 - Napier Marten, CM's father, leaves the family, heads to Australia, and leaves behind his 'materialistic' life. He variously has an out-of-body experience with Aborigines, goes whale watching, lives in a lorry, works as a chef and trains in Indian head massage. Unknown when he returned to the UK, but it's 2013 at the latest.
- 2005 (presumed) - CM leaves school - St Mary's Shaftesbury.
- 6-18 months in 2006-7 (dates unclear, reports vary) - CM joins TB Joshua's SCOAN cult in Nigeria, which is later linked to sex abuse. Friends report she's not the same afterwards.
- 2008 - CM starts studying Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Leeds
- Jan 2009 - CM listed as Tatler 'Babe of the Month'
- 2010 - MG released after 20 years and deported to UK
- 2010-11 - CM on a year abroad in Cairo, studying Arabic. She was, presumably, there when the Arab Spring / Egyptian Revolution happened in Cairo in Jan-Feb 2011. A friend, Noisette Tahoun, she met during this time, and stayed in touch with afterwards, later suggests she had a history of unhealthy relationships, referring to a relationship with a "vulgar" man, and that "when she falls in love she doesn't listen to anyone". It's unclear who or when this vulgar man was.
- 2012 - CM graduates from Leeds with a 2:1
- Aug 2012-June 2013 - CM works as a researcher for Al Jazeera in London, and pitches an idea for a documentary about TB Joshua
- 2013 - CM's childhood stately home at Crichel Down is sold. CM's father reported to be working as a tree surgeon, having passed the estate on early to his eldest son. At the time of CM's disappearance, he is reported to be a film and music producer.
- June-2013-14 - CM works in three short term jobs, two lasting less than a month and one lasting three months; appears to be out of work
- 2014 - CM does a NCTJ course in court reporting. I think this is possible a MOOC rather than anything terribly in depth.
- 2016 - CM leaves E15 Acting School and is listed as a graduate. It is unclear what year she started in - it could have been a second BA starting in 2013 (which would explain her work history) or an MA starting 2015.
- 2016 - CM and MG meet in a shop. MG is reported to live near her and be working as a labourer. CM rapidly starts to cut off family and friends.
- Approximately 2017 - CM and MG marry in Peru, but claim that this marriage was not recognised in the UK. No proof of this marriage is produced, nor whether it was a marriage legally recognised in Peru.
- June 2017 - CM pregnant, presents at a hospital in London, seeking antenatal care for the first time, says she's living in a campervan
- Sept 2017 - SS issues an alert because they can't locate her
- unspecified time later, it emerges they are living, while pregnant, in a flimsy festival-style tent with black bin bags containing clothing and bottles of urine. The social worker who saw it described it as bowing under the rainwater and smelling stale. CM told SS that living in a tent had been her idea, and that she had nappies and babygrows, but was informed that this was insufficient. She was told to arrange housing, and that if she didn't a court order would be sought. CM promised to arrange for housing and state benefits.
- late 2017 - CM goes to a hospital in Wales in early labour, fake Irish accent, claims to be a traveller called Isabella O'Brien, and living in a campervan nearby. She says she lives in Leeds but is avoiding her family. MG pretends to be a friend, Mr Aymer, borrowing a surname from CM's sister-in-law. CM later says she posed as a traveller because she thought this would mean she'd get social housing.
- Supervision order made, allowing CM and MG to care for the baby under the supervision of SS, and CM and the first baby (FF) go into "a number of" mother and baby foster care placements. CM warned twice about the danger of falling asleep with baby on her.
- 2018 - FF's interim care order is discharged
- Late 2018 - GG is born in Wales, and social services become involved again
- 2019 (?) - CM falls from a window. Details are unclear, but this is later determined to be an incident of domestic violence. CM & MG also evade an investigation by SS into the wellbeing of the children.
- Jan 2020 - local authority starts care proceedings, and at the same time Napier Marten starts an application for wardship of FF and GG - it is unclear what the aim of Napier's action was, as it's a tool rarely used since 1989. CM claims in police interview that SS removed her children after MG was blamed for her falling out of a window. She also revealed that her family were involved with SS and had hired private investigators "trying to get involved with my children".
- 4 Feb 2020 - CM posts a facebook album with three children entitled "my love sprogs", with different children labelled bty / cof / dav. IMO she posted that in the hope that it would make it easier for the children to find her on social media when they're older. Many of her facebook friends express surprise that she has any children at all. One of the comments suggests that a picture is taken in Ilford, East London.
- Some point between Jan and June 2020 - baby HH is born
- June 2020 - MG and CM refuse a placement in a residential unit, so an emergency care and separation order is made for all three children.
- CM and MG have contact with all three (later four) children. They are noted to have "interacted well" at the session, but their attendance is "inconsistent", at one point going 4 months without contact. The children are affected by this, with one child described as "inconsolable" and telling staff "mummy and daddy cancelled again"
- Unknown date around this time - CM and MG are evicted from a property in Ilford.
- August 2020 - MG and CM are reported to be living on the Coldharbour Estate, Greenwich / Eltham, though it's unknown when they moved in. Neighbours report shouting, and the couple spending long periods of time elsewhere. NB: I believe the same property is variously referred to as being on the "Coldharbour Estate, Greenwich" and "in Eltham", though there is a possibility there were two homes very close together.
- May 2021 - CM is pregnant again with baby II, refuses entry to a social worker, SS arrange a scan, CM disappears and claims she's having private healthcare, but refuses to share medical records.
- II is born; the exact date is unclear. There is a court hearing regarding the care of the older children, and they are offered a video link but decide to attend in person. They are told that II is not ready to be discharged, but if they leave without II it will be recorded as an abandonment. The next day she returns to the hospital but is upset to be refused entry because she wouldn't take a covid test. She tells SS that she and MG are 'naturalists' who disagree with any medical intervention.
- August 2021, CM's brother Max Marten marries Ruth Aymer, and the wedding is featured in Vogue. CM is nowhere to be seen due to the estrangement.
- 28 Jan 2022 - care and placement orders made for all four children and they are adopted. At this point MG and CM will have known that they have lost all hope of getting those children back.
- March / April(?) 2022 CM pregnant again, conceals pregnancy
- August / September 2022 (sources differ) - MG and CM withdraw £15,000 cash, are evicted, and leave their property in Coldharbour Estate Greenwich / Eltham (they were evicted, but IMO: this coincides with when her bump started to show). They weren't paying rent, and left smoke damage and a collapsed ceiling behind them.
- September - December 2022 - live a nomadic lifestyle, staying in a series of Airbnbs. CM later claims, in police interview, that they tried not to stay in any one area for more than three days at a time, as that would give the local authority jurisdiction over Victoria. They planned to keep moving until they could find somewhere to rent in the countryside that accepted cash.
- From Sept 2022, CM starts to claim a family trust fund. On the 20th, CM requests a £300 advance on the trust fund payment, normally £2500 per month. On 30th Sept, she receives the remaining £2200.
- Oct 2022 - requests another trust fund advance.
- Nov 2022 - CM receives £1200 from a trust fund for the storage of belongings.
- 19 Dec 2022 - MG reports to a police station in Sheffield, presumably as part of his sex offender licence conditions.
- 20-26 Dec 2022 - CM & MG stay in holiday cottage in Northumberland
- 22 Dec - CM receives £15,590 from trust fund for the purchase of a car. Around this time, a further £13,596 is sent for camera equipment and a laptop, after CM said she wanted to start working again. The allowance also rises to £3400 per month. The total amount transferred to CM over this period is £47,886.
- 24 Dec 2022 - CM claims Victoria was born, though this is disputed.
- 26 Dec 2022 - MG reports to a police station in Leeds
- 28 Dec 2022 - Car, a Peugeot 206, breaks down on M61 Greater Manchester (the podcast states this was a Suzuki in M18 Yorkshire). Recovery crew think they're living in the car but don't see a baby. Car towed to Leeds.
- 3 Jan 2023 - CM receives £3400 from a different trust fund
- 4 Jan 2023 - CM & MG check into hotel in Lymm, Cheshire and then later into a different hotel in Manchester. CM withdraws £2000 cash from MetroBank - the maximum allowed. She states that this is because they want to remain untraceable.
- 5 Jan 2023 - Peugeot 206 car catches fire on the M61 near J4 Bolton. CM was driving as MG couldn't drive. Around 6.30pm CM and MG depart leaving behind a passport, placenta, 30 'burner' phones, bible, clothes, 5 used nappies, and a cat in a box. The manhunt begins. Local man called Waiwai Balai gives them a lift to Bolton city centre. 20.02 spotted on CCTV at Bolton Bus Interchange. Take a taxi from Bolton to Liverpool, then a separate taxi from near Liverpool Royal Hospital to Harwich. Speculation is that, as both Liverpool and Harwich are ports, they are trying to leave the country but are hamstrung because MG doesn't have a passport and CM lost hers in the car fire. Debit card transactions cease; CM has £19,083 in her MetroBank account.
- 6 Jan 2023 - CM and MG check in at 3am in Premier Inn Harwich. After departing, staff notice a strong odour that they liken to rotting flesh. WS speculation: this was trench foot (MG was seen with bags over his shoes) or a post partum issue (infection?) from CM. They had had consistent access to bathrooms, so simply body odour is less likely. They move to the Fryatt Hotel that night.
- 7 Jan 2023 - Check out of Fryatt Hotel in Harwich at 7am, then take a taxi to Colchester, then a taxi to East Ham, where they are seen 10.30-12.30. They take a taxi to Whitechapel Road, arriving at 6.15pm. Eat a meal at a restaurant on Brick Lane. Baby seen moving. MG buys a buggy at Argos, along with some camping gear. Try to get a taxi, fail, dump buggy, put baby in Lidl bag.
- 8 Jan 2023 - Shortly after midnight they ask taxi driver Abdirisakh Mohamud to take them to Tesco Extra Enfield. CM claims to be a Muslim using a hood and facemask as a hijab. MG claims to be doing the same because of a hair problem. The taxi driver becomes uneasy and drops the couple off prematurely on Green Lanes - presumably around the Green Lanes / Allison Road junction as they then catch another taxi, driven by Hasan Guzel, departing at 1.25am. During the journey, her phone pings and she asks to change the destination from Portsmouth to Newhaven. The baby is heard "meowing". They arrive at Newhaven at 4.56am. Seen sheltering from rain under an underpass around 6am. CM buys snacks at Texaco Newhaven. 6.15am - seen walking along Cantercrow Hill towards fields with bag and tent.
- 9-11 Jan 2023 - CM claims baby died, changing her story during questioning. CM claims she died when she was in her coat, and CM fell asleep, with the inference being that she suffocated. They both say they attempted resuscitation, but heard a "bubbling" noise from the lungs.
- Unknown date, after the baby died; CM says they discussed what to tell the police; MG told her to say it was a cot death, she was put to sleep on her front, not being held by CM, and when she woke up the baby had died.
- Unknown date / extended period: they carry the baby around in a Lidl bag, but variously claim the bag became too heavy to carry, that soil was added to mask the smell, and that they considered burying her but were too weak to dig.
- 12 Jan, just after 6am - CM purchases petrol and snacks from the same Texaco in Newhaven. She later claims this was because she considered cremating the baby.
- 19 Jan - Napier Marten issues appeal for CM to turn herself in
- 21 Jan - Karen Satchell, half sister of MG, goes to press saying he was wrongly convicted of rape
- 16 Jan 2023 - 11.45am Nicholas Frost, a dog walker sees tent and MG getting out of it at Stanmer Park Nature Reserve. It is not there a week later.
- Unknown date between 16-27 January, 10.30-2.30 - witness Sarah Hidden states she saw CM and MG in Seaford, on the path between Cuckmere Haven and South Barn car park, with them emerging from the buses. She states she was woken by a baby crying on the preceding two nights, sleeping with the windows open despite a (loud??) winter storm. She believes the sound to have been coming from around Seaford Head golf course.
- 8 Feb - Virginie de Selliers, CM's mum and a psychotherapist, issues an appeal for her to come forward
- 16/17 Feb 2023 - seen near Hollingbury Golf Course with a buggy but no baby
- 17 Feb - tent seen Coldean Lane / Stanmer Park, Brighton (Coldean Lane runs through the park). Sighting in Stanmer Park around midday by witness Mary Thomsen.
- 18 Feb - sighting of CM and MG around Coldean Lane, with CM appearing to have something under her jacket
- 19 Feb - CM and MG seen in Stanmer Park with blue tent, and a 'floppy headed' baby with no clothes. The witness, Pauline Mason, states in court that the baby was so pale she believes it was already dead. Her husband Michael Mason stated they went back later to look for evidence in bins and hedgerows, such as nappies or discarded clothing. However, they did not report the sighting until 1st March. Mr Mason also disclosed that Pauline was convinced that she saw the 1986 Babes in the Wood murder victims. WS member consensus: Pauline is not a convincing witness.
- 19 Feb - MG's mother Sylvia, who lives in Florida, goes to the papers saying he's a 'good boy', that he and CM had married in secret some time ago (no evidence of this is ever produced) and suggesting they could have been kidnapped.
- 20 Feb - CM and MG seen scavenging in bins around Hollingbury Golf Course
- 22 Feb - CM and MG attend Brighton Food Bank. They receive some food, but don't ask for baby items, which are available.
- 27 Feb 2023 - CM and MG go to Mulberry's Convenience Store and buy £20 worth of food in cash but no baby items. Shortly afterwards, they are arrested in Brighton, 9.35pm, smelling 'very unpleasant'. They refuse to tell police where the baby is.
- 1 March 2023 - Baby Victoria's remains found at the back of a disused shed in allotments off Lyncht Close, Brighton, so decomposed that the sex could not be identified visually. She is in a Lidl bag, wrapped in sheets, with cans, bottles and leaves. The post mortem finds the cause of death to be "unascertained". There is no evidence of a natural disease, congenital condition, nor injuries associated with assault. Death from hypothermia or co-sleeping is possible, but not provable or disprovable.

Sources: as before, but the additional sources for the update are as follows

Constance Marten trial: aristocrat ‘posed as Irish Traveller’

All four of her older children were put up for adoption because of fears of physical violence between her and Mark Gordon, court has been told

www.thetimes.co.uk

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon trial: Four children taken into care

A jury hears Constance Marten claimed she had not been to school - but was in fact from a wealthy family.

www.bbc.co.uk

https://podcasts.musixmatch.com/podcast/the-trial-01gw40zm7r6hc08w7jepkajncm/episode/constance-marten-and-mark-gordon-%E2%80%98alternative-lifestyle-01hqre22z8qwxdxajd3am6ypqr

Constance Marten given nearly £50k before going on the run with baby

Aristocrat still had nearly £19k in bank just before search launched for fugitive couple and baby Victoria

www.theguardian.com

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon trial: Pathologist not able to say how baby died

A pathologist said it was not possible to determine how Constance Marten and Mark Gordon's baby died.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[DianaWW]

More info on gross negligence manslaughter here (This has most likely been linked previously so apologies if it has). So for the charge to apply it needs to meet the following criteria if I’m understanding correctly:

There are, therefore, five elements which the prosecution must prove in order for a person to be guilty of an offence of manslaughter by gross negligence:

a) the defendant owed an existing duty of care to the victim;

b) the defendant negligently breached that duty of care;

c) it was reasonably foreseeable that the breach of that duty gave rise to a serious and obvious risk of death;

d) the breach of that duty caused the death of the victim;

e) the circumstances of the breach were truly exceptionally bad and so reprehensible as to justify the conclusion that it amounted to gross negligence and required criminal sanction.

I would hazard a guess that the judge’s directions for the jurors will look similar to the above, so that they can decide if each of the criteria has been proven. Looking forward to hearing from the defence next week. I hope the reporting is good.

Gross Negligence Manslaughter | The Crown Prosecution Service

www.cps.gov.uk

 

[Cardgame]

More info on gross negligence manslaughter here (This has most likely been linked previously so apologies if it has). So for the charge to apply it needs to meet the following criteria if I’m understanding correctly:

There are, therefore, five elements which the prosecution must prove in order for a person to be guilty of an offence of manslaughter by gross negligence:

a) the defendant owed an existing duty of care to the victim;

b) the defendant negligently breached that duty of care;

c) it was reasonably foreseeable that the breach of that duty gave rise to a serious and obvious risk of death;

d) the breach of that duty caused the death of the victim;

e) the circumstances of the breach were truly exceptionally bad and so reprehensible as to justify the conclusion that it amounted to gross negligence and required criminal sanction.

I would hazard a guess that the judge’s directions for the jurors will look similar to the above, so that they can decide if each of the criteria has been proven. Looking forward to hearing from the defence next week. I hope the reporting is good.

Gross Negligence Manslaughter | The Crown Prosecution Service

www.cps.gov.uk

I know what id be saying based on the prosecution. So yes, very curious to hear the defence.