Devendra Kumar
The trial of wealthy aristocrat Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon took a dramatic turn on Wednesday when police body-worn video was played in court, revealing the moment officers discovered the remains of their missing baby girl, Victoria, in a disused shed on an allotment in Brighton, East Sussex. The couple had gone on the run with their newborn daughter after their car burst into flames on a motorway near Bolton on January 5 last year, sparking a nationwide search for the missing baby. PC Allen Ralph, part of the search team, testified that he was sent to the allotments after receiving CCTV footage of the distinctive Lidl bag the couple had left behind.
As Ralph approached the shed, he noticed a broken window and lifted the door to enter, immediately detecting a strong smell of death. He commented to his partner that it was either “something is dead in there or something has died.” Ralph searched the shed, finding the Lidl bag to be heavy and filled with rubbish, including two baby nappies, a pink baby blanket, drinks cans, and cardboard. He put on gloves to examine the contents and discovered what appeared to be the head of a doll, but soon realized it was actually part of a baby’s body. The officer described the baby as “very pale” and “very cold” to the touch.
The discovery of the baby’s remains came as a shock to the court, and the couple now face charges of manslaughter by gross negligence, perverting the course of justice, concealing the birth of a child, child cruelty, and causing or allowing the death of a child. The Old Bailey trial continues, with the court hearing more evidence about the couple’s movements and activities in the weeks leading up to the discovery of the baby’s body.