Constance Marten, aged 38, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for the gross negligence manslaughter of her baby, whose decomposed body was discovered in a shopping bag in Brighton in 2023. Her partner, Mark Gordon, 51, was also sentenced at the Old Bailey on Monday. Marten, who grew up in Critchel House in Dorset, is currently incarcerated at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey under the prisoner number A9624X.
Another inmate at the same facility is former nurse Lucy Letby, 35, serving a whole life order for the murders of seven infants and the attempted murders of seven others. There are indications that Marten and Letby have crossed paths multiple times. Both are housed in Unit 4 along with Beinash Batool, the mother of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, who tragically lost her life.
Concerned authorities are closely monitoring Marten due to worries that she might pose a risk to herself or face potential attacks post-sentencing. Marten has reportedly expressed a desire to be relocated from the same unit as Letby and Batool, believing her crime is less severe. However, she has been advised that moving to a different unit would increase her vulnerability.
During the court proceedings, Marten’s barrister, Tom Godfrey, highlighted the profound remorse she feels for her actions. Marten has acknowledged her responsibility in her baby’s death and bears the weight of this realization. The couple initially claimed that the baby’s demise was accidental, attributing it to Marten falling asleep while holding her. However, expert testimony on hypothermia presented during the trial led to the conclusion that the cause of death was hypothermia, a stance the defendants contested.
Mark Gordon received an additional four-year term on extended license as ruled by the judge. The couple opted to live off the grid after Marten’s pregnancy to evade potential intervention by social services, having had their other children taken into care previously. Following a nationwide police search, the pair was apprehended on 27 February 2023, with the baby’s lifeless body discovered two days later in a shed in Brighton.