Constance Marten begins 14-year term for baby’s death as prison life returns; mother pleads for mercy in court

Constance Marten was escorted back to HMP Bronzefield on Monday evening after the judge at the Old Bailey handed down a 14-year sentence for the death of her newborn daughter, Victoria. Prison officials moved quickly to place her under close surveillance, the aim being to protect her from potential harm while also ensuring her safety within the high-security wing that houses convicted child-killers. Witnesses at the jail described a grim welcome, with fellow inmates banging on doors as Marten was led to her cell. In a criminal justice system often portrayed as harsh and unforgiving for those who take the life of a child, Marten’s isolation inside the prison has been noted by staff, who say she rarely leaves her cell and has declined to engage in the educational or rehabilitation programs available to others in the unit. Security and medical staff are keeping a careful eye on her, even as her former life — and the choices that led to this moment — remain the subject of intense public scrutiny.

Hours earlier at the Old Bailey, Marten’s mother, Virginie de Selliers, sat in the well of the court to read a character reference in a bid to influence how the court might view her daughter’s future. In a statement that sought to frame Marten in compassionate terms, de Selliers described a daughter who “grew from a spirited, adventurous girl to a determined young woman always ready for an adventure,” and who possessed “courage, loyalty and a deep sense of fairness.” The letter sought mercy on the basis of Marten’s character, adding that it was “horrified” by how she and the case had been depicted in the media and that the “cruelty of the labels used” did not reflect the person she remembered.

The mother’s appearance at the sentencing followed a tense courtroom moment in which Marten largely ignored her mother, choosing instead to direct most of her attention toward her partner and alleged co-defendant in the eyes of the court, Mark Gordon. During evidence, Marten reportedly whispered and passed notes to Gordon in the dock, drawing the attention of security guards and the judge. The exchanges underscored the long-standing rift within the family and the way the case has become a touchstone for debates over loyalty, control, and the kinds of influence that can derail a young life.

Virginie de Selliers arrived at the Old Bailey with Marten’s younger relatives and described her daughter as a person who deserved fair treatment, even as she faced a grave penalty for the death of Victoria. A family friend later said that Marten’s mother’s presence throughout the trial and sentencing had been a source of distress for Constance, and at times of tension in the courtroom, the daughter’s reaction suggested a fear of what might come after the verdict.

The sentencing capped a trial that has traced a harrowing arc: a couple on the run with a newborn in freezing temperatures, the baby later found dead in a shed, and the couple ultimately convicted of gross negligence manslaughter after a retrial. The judge, Mark Lucraft, ruled that Victoria died as a result of neglect of the gravest type after the family moved into a shelter on the South Downs in January 2023. The infant’s body was found in a Lidl bag-for-life, under a discarded cheese sandwich and other rubbish. The verdict and sentence sealed a narrative that had already become a symbol of the stark consequences of parental decisions in the face of serious risk to a child’s welfare.

Marten and Gordon had previously faced other charges related to child cruelty, concealing Victoria’s birth, and perverting the course of justice. In the wake of the verdict, Marten’s family has been split about how best to approach the next steps. Napier Marten, Constance’s father, who separated from Virginie de Selliers when their daughter was nine, said he would welcome a chance to see his daughter again, expressing willingness to visit her on remand and to continue seeking a path toward reconciliation. Yet it is unclear whether such visits will be permitted, given the current separation between Marten and Gordon and the ongoing legal processes surrounding their convictions and potential appeals.

Some family members hope that Marten’s distancing from Gordon, who has his own criminal background, might alter her perspective in the years ahead. A family friend noted that after Constance met Gordon in 2016, “everything in her life changed,” and that her communications with friends and relatives shifted dramatically. The friend described Gordon as a controlling figure who exerted a powerful influence over Marten, a characterization echoed by others who followed the case closely. The bond between Marten and Gordon, forged in the months leading up to Victoria’s birth, has been central to the prosecution’s portrayal of the events that culminated in a child’s death and two families’ long, painful fall from grace.

Beyond the courtroom and the prison walls, the Marten-Gordon story also raises questions about the family’s long-standing ties to traditional British society and the way in which personal choices intersect with powerful social expectations. Marten’s early life was steeped in privilege and proximity to prominent institutions. The history of Crichel House in Dorset, where the Marten family once lived, is part of a broader tapestry that included Royal links: Marten’s grandfather was equerry to George VI, and her father served as a page to Queen Elizabeth II. In 1986, Napier Marten married Virginie Camu, and Constance was born the following year. The couple’s subsequent divorce and the family’s adjustment to life apart from their old social orbit became an undercurrent to the public’s interest in the case.

The path Marten took in adulthood, including a controversial period in which she spent time at SCOAN, the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Nigeria with her mother, is a focal point for discussions about risk, faith, and the kinds of childhood experiences that can influence a person’s later choices. Marten’s time at SCOAN in the late 2010s, at age 18, was described by family friends as a deeply troubling period that left her “completely broken apart,” according to one source. The church has denied the more sensational accusations that have circulated in media reports, stating that it was unaware of any connection to Marten. Virginie de Selliers has not publicly detailed what happened during the stay in Nigeria, but those close to the family say she later took an active role in seeking her daughter’s safe return home.

As the legal process moves forward, Marten has applied for permission to appeal her manslaughter conviction, according to sources familiar with the case. A Bronzefield prison source added that Marten appears to carry herself as if she believes the conviction is a mistake and that she will be released soon; colleagues, however, cautioned that the sentence and the circumstances of the case suggest the path to release will be lengthy and complex. The period since the verdict has been shaped by a combination of public scrutiny, private family dynamics, and the ongoing struggle over how best to address what happened to Victoria.

What lies ahead for Marten remains uncertain. The appeal process could extend the timeline by months, if not years, and the question of family reconciliation is likely to echo through both the courts and the walls of Bronzefield. In the near term, her focus appears to be survival within a prison system that has become a place of isolation rather than a springboard for reinvention. For a family that once lived in the public imagination’s fast lane, the contrast between perception and reality could not be starker: a life that began with privilege and promise and ended with a conviction that has reverberated through the communities touched by this case.

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