Aristocratic British couple receives sentencing for the murder of their newborn infant.
In a shocking turn of events, Constance Marten, 38, and Mark Gordon, 51, were sentenced to 14 years in prison for the killing of their newborn daughter, Victoria, at London's Central Criminal Court. The sentencing occurred overnight after they were found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter in July.
The couple, who were previously convicted of perverting the course of justice, concealing the birth of a child, and child cruelty, were determined to seek justice for baby Victoria, as stated by Chief Crown Prosecutor Jaswant Narwal.
The decomposed body of the infant was found by police in a shopping bag under rubbish in a garden shed in Brighton in 2023. The judge ruled that the baby's death was not an accident, stating that neither defendant gave much or any thought for the care or love for their baby.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford expressed his disbelief at the couple's actions, stating that they had numerous opportunities to do the right thing while on the run. The couple had spent hundreds of dollars on cabs to shuttle them around and slept in a tent on the South Downs, a range of hills in southern England.
Marten, a drama student, and Gordon, a convicted sex offender who served 20 years in prison in the United States for kidnapping and sexual battery, according to US law enforcement records, had managed to evade authorities for several weeks. After his release, Gordon was deported from the US.
During their escape, the couple refused to disclose the location of the baby after their arrest in Brighton on February 27. Police launched a nationwide search after finding a placenta in a burned-out car near Bolton, north-western England, on January 5, 2023. Victoria was briefly seen on CCTV footage in London wearing a onesie with a teddy bear pattern.
Narwal expressed hope that the sentences would provide a sense of justice and comfort to all affected by the tragic case. The sentencing brings a conclusion to a heart-wrenching story that has captured the attention of the nation.
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