Constance Marten had £48k paid into her accounton February 22, 2024 at 6:53 pm

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

The Old Bailey heard while police were searching for her she had more than £19,000 put into her account.

Constance Marten and Mark GordonImage source, GMP

Constance Marten had almost £48,000 paid into her Metro bank account from a family trust in the five months leading up to her baby’s death last year.

During the time police were looking for her and Mark Gordon, she had more than £19,000 in her account.

The couple are standing trial at the Old Bailey charged with the manslaughter of baby Victoria by gross negligence, which they deny.

Her body was found in a bag in a shed on a Brighton allotment last March.

Det Sgt Steve Ferguson told jurors that from the beginning of September 2022, when the evidence started, Ms Marten was receiving monthly payments from the Sturt Family Trust which were being paid to her by the private bank Hoares into her Metro bank account.

These were initially £2,500 a month, but went up to £3,400 a month in December 2022.

In the same period, Hoares Bank also paid her £3,800, which she said was for the cost of storing her belongings.

Then, on 13 November, £13,596 was paid into her Metro account for camera and filming equipment after she said she wanted to start working again.

On 22 December, £15,590 was transferred as Ms Marten said she wanted to buy a new car.

In total, from the beginning of September 2022 to mid-January 2023, £47,886 was paid into her account by Hoares Bank.

During December, there were a number of withdrawals in cash of between £50 and £300. Two big withdrawals of £4,000 and £2,000 were made on 31 December 2022 and 5 January 2023.

On the latter date, which was also the day that the car that Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were using caught fire, there was £19,083.10 in her Metro Bank account.

Over the next few weeks, while police were looking for the couple, they did not withdraw any money until 27 February 2023, the night that they were arrested.

The prosecution says that during that time, the couple were living in a tent on the South Downs with their new-born baby.

On 1 March last year, baby Victoria’s body was found in a Lidl supermarket bag inside a disused shed on the allotment.

As well as manslaughter, Ms Marten and Mr Gordon are also accused of four other offences – cruelty to their baby; concealment of the baby’s birth; causing or allowing her death; and perverting the course of justice by concealing the body.

They deny all charges.

The trial continues.

- Advertisement -

Discover

Sponsor

Latest

The Papers: ‘Terror suspect escapes’ and ‘hottest season’on September 6, 2023 at 11:05 pm

Many of Thursday's papers report on a prisoner escaping from HMP Wandsworth in London.Many of Thursday's papers report on a prisoner escaping from HMP...

Football child sex abuse report finds ‘institutional failings’on March 17, 2021 at 1:26 pm

A long-awaited report into football's historical child sex abuse scandal finds "institutional failings" at the Football Association between 1995 and 2000 left some children...

Auckland floods: More heavy rain ahead for New Zealand’s largest cityon January 30, 2023 at 4:32 am

Authorities have issued severe weather warnings for the New Zealand capital and surrounding towns.Authorities have issued severe weather warnings for the New Zealand capital...

Student with rare disease to stay in UK after immigration battleon November 20, 2023 at 6:12 am

The Home Office grants an Egyptian national leave to remain due to lack of treatment in his home country.The Home Office grants an Egyptian...

Twitter’s paid blue tick re-launches after pauseon December 12, 2022 at 3:21 am

Twitter will once again offer a blue tick badge and additional features for a monthly fee.Twitter will once again offer a blue tick badge...