This week, a case that gripped Britain for nearly two years reached its conclusion. Constance Marten — the aristocrat who vanished with her partner, Mark Gordon, and was later found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence — was sentenced. 

Both Marten and Gordon were given 14 years in prison over the death of their daughter Victoria. Gordon will serve a further four years on extended licence, while Marten will not be released until she has served at least two-thirds of her sentence. 

Their disappearance in late 2022 sparked a nationwide manhunt, a desperate search for a newborn baby, and a story that dominated headlines. Police pieced together how the couple evaded CCTV, relied on a network of safe houses, and carried their infant through a freezing winter — until their arrest in Brighton, and the tragic discovery of Victoria’s body days later. 

In court, Judge Mark Lucraft said the couple gave no “thought to the care or welfare” of their child, focusing only on themselves as they tried to avoid detection. He found Victoria’s death was caused by hypothermia — “the result of obvious neglect” — and accused the pair of showing no genuine remorse, instead blaming everyone else. 

From Martin’s privileged background and Gordon’s troubled past, through the disappearance and trials, to the final sentencing, this is a story that shocked Britain and continues to raise tough questions about parental responsibility, child protection, and the limits of the law. 

Ciara Doherty is joined by journalist Vincent McAviney, who has followed the case from the very beginning, reporting from Brighton on the morning of their arrests and throughout the subsequent trials.