In court, Ms. Marten expressed her belief that her baby died on 9 January last year, reflecting on whether she will ever be able to move on from the loss.
Both Ms. Marten, 36, and her partner Mark Gordon, 49, deny the manslaughter by gross negligence of their daughter Victoria, whose body was found in a Lidl bag in a shed in Brighton on 1 March.
According to Ms. Marten, she and Mr. Gordon had been living in a tent in wintry conditions on the South Downs. Giving evidence in her defense after Mr. Gordon declined earlier in the week, Ms. Marten asserted that they loved their children “more than anything in the world.”
Constance Marten (Credits: The Independent)
Under questioning from her defense barrister, Francis FitzGibbon KC, Ms. Marten firmly denied any wrongdoing toward baby Victoria, stating that she did nothing but show her love and care.
She maintained that she did not expose her baby to cold or allow her to get too hot to the best of her knowledge, and believed she provided the proper care her daughter deserved.
Reflecting on her daughter’s death, Ms. Marten expressed deep emotions, stating that she did not think she would ever move on from it. She described feeling guilty and initially experiencing disbelief, shock, and intense grief.
The case gained national attention after Greater Manchester Police launched a search when a placenta was found in the couple’s burnt-out car near Bolton on 5 January 2023.
It is alleged that the couple went on the run to keep their daughter following the removal of their first four children into care. Ms. Marten criticized the family court decision to remove her first four children, calling it “one of the most disgraceful cases.”
When asked if she had ever harmed any of her children, she became emotional, stating that she and Mr. Gordon love their kids more than anything and expressing frustration at having to go through such a process.
