12 key facts about the disappearance of runaway aristocrat Constance Marten

On 5 January, aristocrat Constance Marten, her sex offender partner Mark Gordon and their newborn baby went missing in Bolton. Here are 12 facts about the extraordinary case

On 5 January, aristocrat Constance Marten, her sex offender partner Mark Gordon and their newborn baby went missing, abandoning a broken-down car, which was later found in flames, on the M61 near Bolton.

The couple were found in Brighton by Sussex Police officers on Monday night, but their baby remains missing.

A widespread search was launched and senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford has suggested the couple may have offered their “cash reserves” to someone in exchange for them protecting their baby.

The couple were initially arrested on suspicion of child neglect but on Tuesday evening were rearrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter as fears for the baby’s safety grow.

Here are 12 facts about the case.

1. Marten’s royal links

Marten, 35, comes from an aristocratic family.

Her grandparents were Toby Marten, a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy, and his wife Mary Anna, who attended the Brownies pack at Buckingham Palace alongside Princess Margaret in her youth and was the goddaughter of the late Queen Mother. Her father was a page to the late Queen.

2. Her rapist partner

Her partner Gordon, 48, who it is understood she met in 2016, was jailed in the late 1980s in Florida, US, after raping and assaulting a woman when he was aged 14. After serving a 20-year sentence he was deported back to the UK in 2010.

3. Their relationship

Marten has been estranged from her family since beginning the relationship with Gordon. The pair were thought to have previously lived together in Ilford, London.

From around September last year, they began living in a series of AirBnBs around the country on short lets and amassed cash to enable them to live off-grid and avoid the attention of the authorities.

4. Timeline of their disappearance

Having abandoned their car in Bolton on 5 January, Marten and Gordon hailed a taxi to Liverpool where they took another taxi to Harwich in Essex, arriving just after midnight on Friday 6 January.

Police said they were also spotted in Harwich before travelling to Colchester and then taking a taxi to East Ham station.

Detectives have since established that the couple took a taxi from East Ham, being dropped off in Whitechapel Road at 6.14pm on 12 January where Gordon was spotted leaving an Argos after purchasing a tent.

Mark Gordon carrying an Argos bag after purchasing a tent (Met Police)

At 11.46pm, they got a taxi to Haringey then another to Newhaven, East Sussex, where they were last seen walking along Cantercrow Hill into the fields beyond on 12 January.

5. What the pair were carrying

While the fire in the car destroyed most of their abandoned belongings, the pair are understood to have been in possession of a substantial amount of money, with their taxi journeys being paid in cash amounting to several hundreds of pounds.

6. Marten’s motivations

A friend of Marten has spoken out about the case, claiming the aristocrat was allegedly “brainwashed” by an encounter with a controversial Nigerian preacher.

Marten allegedly got involved with the teachings of T.B. Joshua, a leader of a Nigerian megachurch. “She ended up becoming one of his disciples in Nigeria. I believe she got brainwashed while she was over there. The experience traumatised her,” the unnamed friend claimed.

“She was not the same person when she came back. She always used to be wild, but also happy, kind and buoyant. She was darker when she came back and she found things more difficult.

“She never told us what really happened. T.B. Joshua was a God-like figure. It was scary, and I believe it changed her. It was a huge part of her life.”

7. The investigation

More than 200 officers are now involved in the investigation and have searched through more than 223 CCTV hours with assistance from the National Crime Agency.

The police have offered a £10,000 reward for information.

A CCTV image of Mark Gordon and Constance Marten on Whitechapel Road in London (Metropolitan Police/PA) (PA Media)

8. Marten’s father’s appeal

On 19 January, Marten’s father, Napier Marten issued an appeal to his estranged daughter in the Independent.

“Darling Constance even though we remain estranged at the moment, I stand by, as I have always done and as the family has always done, to do whatever is necessary for your safe return to us,” he said.

“I beseech you to find a way to turn yourself and your wee one in to the police as soon as possible, so you and he or she can be protected. Only then can a process of healing and recovery begin, however long it may take, however difficult it may be.

He added: “I want you to understand that you are much much loved whatever the circumstances. We are deeply concerned for your and your baby’s welfare”.

9. Marten’s mother’s appeal

In February, Marten’s mother also issued an open letter saying she wanted to help her daughter.

“I want to help you and my grandchild,” she wrote. “You deserve the opportunity to build a new life, establish a stable family and enjoy the same freedoms that most of us have.

“Constance, I will do what I can to stand alongside you and my grandchild. You are not alone in this situation. We will support you in whatever way we can.

“I am ready to do what it takes for you to recover from this awful experience so you can thrive and enjoy motherhood.

“I love you and miss you, Mum xx.”

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were spotted by a member of the public outside the Mulberrys convenience shop in Brighton on 27 February (Google Maps)

10. Where were the couple located?

The pair were found by officers from Sussex Police in Stanmer Villas, Brighton, on 27 February after a member of the public reported seeing them shortly before 9.30pm.

This is some 15 kilometres from where they were spotted in Newhaven on 8 January. They were later seen sheltering under an overpass at around 6am, before walking along Cantercrow Hill and into the fields beyond.

11. What have the police said?

Throughout the investigation, police have expressed concern for the welfare of their baby, who is not thought to have been assessed by medical experts since being born.

Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, the senior investigating officer, suggested on 28 February that the couple may have offered their “cash reserves” to a like-minded or non-law-abiding individual in exchange for them protecting their baby.

“We hold hope the baby is safe and we agree that the risk is extremely high,” he told reporters.

As the couple were further arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter on Tuesday evening, DSI Basford said that police had to consider the possibility that the child had “come to harm”, given the pair had now been in custody for a “significant period of time”.

Police are searching allotments for the couple’s missing baby (PA)

12. How to help

Police are appealing for members of the public living between Brighton and Newhaven “to report any potential sightings or information about where they may have been sleeping”.

“I’d also ask people living in these areas to report any suspicious behaviour or items found in their gardens, outbuildings and sheds, between then and now,” said DSI Basford.

“Equally if you are out walking in these areas and you discover something you think we should know about, please don’t hesitate to contact us, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Support from the public is vital and we ask people to remain vigilant.”

Anyone who has information should call the incident room on 020 7175 0785.

Alternatively, information can be reported 100 per cent anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. They never ask for personal details and they do not trace your device.