Mark Gordon not giving evidence in trial over death of baby girl
He is accused of the manslaughter of baby Victoria alongside aristocrat Constance Marten.
Mark Gordon is not giving evidence in his trial in which he and aristocrat Constance Marten are accused over the death of their baby girl, the Old Bailey has heard.
Marten, 37, and Gordon, 50, are charged with the manslaughter of their daughter Victoria who died after they went off-grid in early 2023.
The Old Bailey was told the couple had gone to the south coast to avoid their fifth child being taken into care amid a high-profile police hunt for the missing baby.
It is alleged Victoria was inadequately clothed in a babygrow and that Marten had got wet as she carried the baby underneath her coat.
The prosecution allege Victoria died from hypothermia or was smothered while co-sleeping in the “flimsy” tent on the South Downs, despite past warnings.
The child’s body was discovered with rubbish inside a shopping bag for life in a disused shed near Brighton after the defendants were arrested on February 27 2023.
On Tuesday, the court heard Gordon would not be giving evidence.
John Femi-Ola KC, defending, said: “I do not propose to call Mr Gordon.”
Jurors heard evidence from consultant in paediatric and perinatal pathology, Dr Srinivas Rao Annavarapu, who was asked to estimate when baby Victoria was born based on the placenta that was found in the defendants’ car on January 5 2023.
The consultant said he believes it is more likely the baby was closer to two to three weeks old rather than one to two days old at the time the placenta was found, based on its condition.
Marten and Gordon, of no fixed address, have denied the gross negligence manslaughter of their daughter and causing or allowing her death between January 4 and February 27 2023.
Jurors have been told the defendants were convicted at an earlier trial of concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice.
The trial continues.
