The Audio Long Read Best of 2025: ‘A relentless, destructive energy’: inside the trial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon
Jan 2, 2026
This episode dives into a harrowing case involving Constance Marten and Mark Gordon, charged with manslaughter after the tragic death of their newborn. It explores the couple's alarming lifestyle, their life on the run, and the chaotic courtroom dynamics, including emotional testimonies and shocking revelations about Gordon's past. The prosecution's evidence and the couple's defense unfold against a backdrop of privilege, loss, and critical social worker warnings that went unheeded, leading to a gripping examination of justice and responsibility.
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Absence As A Form Of Power
- Martin repeatedly used absence as leverage, testing the court's authority.
- Leucraft openly asserted control, stating he was running the trial, not Martin.
Hiding With A Dead Baby
- After Victoria died, the couple carried her body and avoided shops to escape detection.
- They were arrested in Brighton two days before police found Victoria in an allotment shed.
Unstable Persona Complicates Credibility
- Martin shifted between vulnerability and defiance, making her credibility unstable.
- That instability complicated the jury's task of choosing between competing narratives.