"Marten, 38, wore her long dark hair in braids and was smartly dressed with a teal scarf and handbag as she sat in the dock next to Gordon, 51, in a suit and black headgear. The pair, who sat just three metres apart to hear the sentencing, were seen chatting ahead of the judge's arrival before gesturing and passing notes as they sat flanked by dock officers during the hearing."
"In his sentencing, he said neither Marten nor Gordon gave much or any thought to care for the welfare of their baby, adding that their focus was entirely on themselves. He said the pair showed no genuine expression of remorse about the death of their child and had sought to blame everyone else for what happened. Marten shook her head as the judge related these findings."
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were each sentenced to 14 years for gross negligence manslaughter after the death of their newborn daughter, Victoria. The newborn died in a flimsy tent on the South Downs in bitter cold while the parents hid off-grid to avoid the child being taken into care like their four other children. Judge Mark Lucraft KC made no distinction between their dangerous conduct and imposed an additional four-year extended licence term on Gordon. CCTV contradicted parental claims about clothing and showed the infant was in a thin baby grow. The parents displayed a lack of genuine remorse and sought to blame others.
Read at www.independent.co.uk
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