Summary

  • Constance Marten and Mark Gordon are both sentenced to 14 years over the death of their baby Victoria

  • Gordon will serve a further four years on extended licence - Marten will not be released until she has served at least two thirds of her sentence

  • For a couple who caused so much disruption during their trial, there was no reaction from them as they were handed lengthy sentences, writes our correspondent in court

  • Victoria was found dead in a shopping bag in Brighton in 2023 after the pair spent two months on the run - pathologists are still not sure exactly how she died

  • The pair were sentenced for gross negligence manslaughter and other offences

  • Warning: This page may contain distressing details

'What you did towards baby Victoria... can only be described as neglect' - judge

Live Reporting

Edited by Jamie Whitehead & Tiffany Wertheimer, with Helena Wilkinson & Daniel Sandford reporting from court

  1. Sentencing due for Constance Marten and Mark Gordon

    Custody images of Constance Marten and Mark GordonPA Media

    Constance Marten and Mark Gordon are due at the Old Bailey in central London today, where they will soon be sentenced for the gross negligence manslaughter of their daughter Victoria.

    Victoria's body was found in a shopping bag in a Brighton allotment in March 2023, two months after the couple’s disappearance sparked a nationwide manhunt.

    They were found guilty after a long and complex trial which was beset by delays and bizarre outbursts. It was a court case our correspondent described as “extraordinary” (we’ll bring you that reaction in a moment) and which frequently left the judge exasperated.

    Marten and Gordon were convicted of child cruelty at the first of two trials - findings which could not be made public for legal reasons until a second trial had concluded. They were also found guilty of concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice.

    It has been more than two-and-a-half years since they were first arrested and, barring appeals, today marks the end of a fraught legal process.

    Our team are in court and we will bring you the latest as soon as we have it, so stay with us.