A jury at London’s Old Bailey on 14 July found aristocrat Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon guilty of the gross-negligence manslaughter of their newborn daughter, Victoria. The pair, who denied the charge, will be sentenced in September. Prosecutors said Marten and Gordon went into hiding in late 2022 after four older children were taken into care. Determined to keep their fifth child from social services, they lived “off-grid” and spent several weeks in a flimsy tent on the South Downs during sub-zero January weather. Victoria died while zipped inside her mother’s jacket, deprived of warmth, shelter and adequate care. The verdict capped a 54-day national manhunt that began when police discovered the couple’s burned-out car near Manchester in early 2023. After their arrest in Brighton, officers found Victoria’s body in a plastic shopping bag in a disused shed two days later. Marten and Gordon were already convicted last year of concealing their daughter’s birth, perverting the course of justice and child cruelty. Prosecutor Tom Little told jurors their "selfish desire to keep their baby no matter the cost" proved fatal. The Crown Prosecution Service said today’s decision delivers long-sought justice for Victoria.