Constance Marten and Mark Gordon Case #5

[InTheDollsHouse]

Trial began on 24/1/24, and is currently expected to run until 8th March.

Live reporting by the Daily Mail, and The Argus. Daily Mail podcast gets great reviews from many Tatlers.


Wednesday 24/1: https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/24070691.live-constance-marten-mark-gordon-trial-begin-old-bailey/

Thursday 25/1:
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/24073574.live-constance-marten-mark-gordon-trial-old-bailey/

Monday 29/1:
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/24080702.live-constance-marten-mark-gordon-trial-continues/

Tuesday 30/1:
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/24083626.live-constance-marten-mark-gordon-old-bailey/

Wednesday 31/1:
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/24086463.recap-constance-marten-appears-court-first-time-trial/

Thursday 1/2: Nothing to report, jury sent home until Monday

Recap as trial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon at Old Bailey adjourned to next week

Live updates as the trial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon continues at the Old Bailey in London.

www.theargus.co.uk

Also good reporting on Twitter/X:
https://x.com/totalcrime?s=21&t=v_C8Mf-U-mWMVL5828bgHA

Reminders:
No cause of death was able to be established.

Confirmation that four other children were previously taken in to care - they are being referred to as Child FF, GG, HH, II.
This baby was their fifth child together and is being referred to as Baby A.

Mark Gordon has been in court every day, but Constance Marten appeared for the first time on Wednesday 31st Jan.


Will try and tackle the wiki on Monday.

Previous threads:

Constance Marten case - missing mum

Has anyone been reading about this case? A mum is missing with her baby, it seems that she gave birth with no medical assistance. It's obvious there is a LOT more to the case that isn't being reported, because they want her to reappear...

tattle.life

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon Case #2

New thread, duplicate #2 with a few replies deleted as started of in a mess of misinformation. Please post on topic, no need to have a discussion on what you think mods should do. We'll deal with things as and when :)

tattle.life

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon Case #3

Continuing from previous thread https://tattle.life/threads/constance-marten-and-mark-gordon-case-2.37720/

tattle.life

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon Case #4

Trial began on 24/1/24, and is currently expected to run until early March. Live reporting by the Daily Mail, and The Argus https://www.theargus.co.uk/topics/constance-marten/ Day 1: https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/24070691.live-constance-marten-mark-gordon-trial-begin-old-bailey/ Day 2...

tattle.life

 

[Here2BNosey]

Thread opening well done, very concise @InTheDollsHouse.

Couple of points on my mind not really related to the court case.

Firstly of all the things that they did so foolishly, the one thing I absolutely cannot get my head around is, why on earth did CM not leave the country when she had the chance? She had a passport, money, and access to a guarantee ongoing income. Seriously who in that position wouldn't leave while it was easy. She was pregnant but even if port authorities could see they wouldn't be able to stop her as there were no court orders on her. As for Gordon, surely with all her cash he could have secured dodgy documentation fron somewhere and even followed later. I mean in her position if I was gonna do what she was thinking of doing, too right I'd be outta there before anyone had a chance to stop me. Even if the car didn't set on fire and she lost her passport, how's she getting an unregistered newborn out through passport control, yet they went to Liverpool and Harwich after she was born, it doesn't make any sense at all. Unless they weren't going to leave the country until they were 'wanted' but still how they gonna live their lives in this country with a whole child who officially doesn't exist, it's truly bizarre.
Secondly I do think with hindsight (yes I know it's a wonderful thing) the handling of this case by police and media alike was a little gung ho. They were made like frightened rabbits with nowhere to hide which sadly led to them making the absolute foolish and utterly tragic choices that they did. Not to vindicate them of any blame as the responsibility for the decisions is all theirs but perhaps if the police had kept their cards a bit closer to their chests, put traces on the bank accounts, alerts to ports, hospitals etc they could maybe have tracked them with more intelligent surveillance and maybe that baby might have had a chance. I'm sure many will disagree but I don't think the media circus was or is the right way to go when it involves someone so vulnerable, as the baby.

 

[neroli]

The thrill of the chase? Wanting to get one up on SS and the police at any price?

 

[MedeaWho]

I suspect this case was assessed as ‘risk to life’ hence why they had to act quickly and involve publicity.
I also believe the parents were not able to care for this baby (hence lack of appropriate clothing in winter) so even without the chase they would quite likely have harmed her.

 

[InTheDollsHouse]

Today’s Argus link (we can hope they do some half decent reporting )

Recap of trial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon in sixth day

Live updates as the trial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon enters its sixth day.

www.theargus.co.uk

 

[Brandshinynew]

Thanks for the new thread!

 

[InTheDollsHouse]

why on earth did CM not leave the country when she had the chance?

MG may not have been able to leave the country, dependent on his SO Register requirements. She wouldn’t go without him. If he suddenly stops reporting to the police station, they’ll be looking for him.

IMO she wanted the baby, but only with MG too.

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

Likely a completely pointless comparison but find it curious the Met have put out a £20k bounty for the acid thrower, but only a £10k bounty for this pair? Both crimes are abhorrent and arguably the acid thrower presents more of a risk to the general public, but it appears both were family crimes/abuses so at least the mother & children are now safe, whereas the baby never was.

Apologies for the pointless musings!

 

[InTheDollsHouse]

how's she getting an unregistered newborn out through passport control, yet they went to Liverpool and Harwich after she was born

And a cat!

This is why the police thought the baby was born in the car, because they were running but she went into labour.
---

Likely a completely pointless comparison but find it curious the Met have put out a £20k bounty for the acid thrower, but only a £10k bounty for this pair? Both crimes are abhorrent and arguably the acid thrower presents more of a risk to the general public, but it appears both were family crimes/abuses so at least the mother & children are now safe, whereas the baby never was.

Apologies for the pointless musings!

I guess the acid man could pose a risk to others, and with evidence found at his home they may know it was really very premeditated. There’s also a chance he could try again with the same woman. (I’m musing too. The world has gone to tit.)

 

[sebanna]

It would have made more sense to leave the country earlier on in the pregnancy and re homed the cat first.

 

[InTheDollsHouse]

I wonder if they booked the holiday cottage specifically for somewhere warm and dry to give birth. It was booked the same day as they arrived.

---
They’re both there today

 

[MrsDimSum]

I am wondering why they ran when they did, it seems like the most ridiculous time to do so. Did they have a home they abandoned? Surely it would have been easier with her wealth to get new identities and leave long before the baby was born or even afterwards? I can’t work out why in the throes of giving birth you’d start moving round the country.

She could’ve had the baby at home and then moved. Presumably she’d managed to keep everything under the radar for 9 months already?

 

[Aberscot]

How can they need a break already, they only started at 1130 so 35 minutes.

 

[InTheDollsHouse]

Was just coming to say the same! Arrived, one witness, stop!

---
Adjourned due to juror illness

 

[sebanna]

Do you think while we are waiting, the Argus reporter might please tell us what the witness actually said?

 

[Aberscot]

If juror unwell now unlikely to be fine by two I would have thought

 

[InTheDollsHouse]

Do you think while we are waiting, the Argus reporter might please tell us what the witness actually said?

---
I take it back Ellie from The Argus! All is forgiven.

Really narrow window of this sighting…

 

[pommobear]

How can they need a break already, they only started at 1130 so 35 minutes.

It drives me mad. Is it always this inefficient?!

 

[Walnutss]

It drives me mad. Is it always this inefficient?!

They have breaks constantly to dispute evidence, what's allowed to be said what's allowed to be entered. Alot of defence lawyers do it just to confuse juries and stall to create boredom

 

[jammybee]

I’ve never seen reporting this tedious though, the live updates for Letby were brilliant, and then the Brianna trial updates were good especially the Echo. Never seen anything as half hearted as the Argus. What a damp squib!