Constance Marten cross-examined by partner Mark Gordon

Constance Marten has heavy criticised her affluent "biological family" successful an bonzer cross-examination carried retired by her spouse and chap suspect Mark Gordon during their retrial astatine the Old Bailey.

She accused her household of prejudice, and hiring backstage detectives to travel her.

Gordon, who is not legally trained, was capable to cross-examine his spouse aft submitting his questions to the justice and receiving approval. He is nary longer utilizing barristers successful the proceedings and is alternatively representing himself.

Marten, 37, and Gordon, 50, some contradict manslaughter by gross negligence implicit the decease of their child, Victoria, whose assemblage was recovered successful a Brighton shed successful March 2023.

They besides contradict causing oregon allowing the decease of a child. The mates person 4 different children who person been removed by societal services.

They were antecedently recovered blameworthy of concealing Victoria's commencement and perverting the people of justness by not reporting her death, but the assemblage could not travel to a verdict connected the outstanding charges. A retrial began successful March.

Under questioning by Gordon successful tribunal connected Thursday, Marten described however "all hellhole broke loose" with her household erstwhile she returned from Peru large with her archetypal kid successful 2017.

She said she had go "very fearful" aft their car "exploded" successful January 2023. She said 15 erstwhile vehicles had besides malfunctioned successful mysterious circumstances, and that they had recovered a GPS tracker connected astatine slightest 1 of them.

She besides mentioned an unnamed household subordinate who she felt "doesn't privation maine alive" aft she had spoken retired astir them successful the past.

The assemblage heard that the mates had been surviving successful a structure successful Wales earlier the commencement of Victoria. The couple's different children had been removed from them by then.

"The lone crushed we ended up successful Wales was due to the fact that of this idiosyncratic who I americium convinced was down the detonation of the car," Marten said.

She said her household had hired 2 firms of backstage detectives and it had felt "like a feline and rodent game".

Some of her relatives saw her arsenic an embarrassment, she told the court, adding that "some radical from privilege deliberation they are supra the rules".

"You are up against these radical who volition halt astatine nothing, and person endless resources and connections, and I don't deliberation I tin get distant from them."

She said her household spot had besides told her that "if you person inactive got that achromatic fellow with you, you are ne'er going to get a property".

She besides said that she and Gordon had "received a immense magnitude of prejudice from people, particularly from my family".

Marten said the constabulary manhunt that began aft their car caught occurrence pursuing Victoria's commencement meant that radical started recognising them, truthful they decided to spell and slumber successful a structure connected the South Downs.

"It was conscionable a pitstop for a fewer days to get distant from prying eyes," she said.

In effect to Gordon asking if she intended to origin the babe harm, Marten replied: "No, of people not."

When asked if the babe was ever a priority, she said "absolutely" and that was wherefore they had wanted to support her for longer arsenic opposed to having her besides beryllium taken away.

"She was a large baby. Healthy. Strong," she said.

Prosecutors person alleged Victoria died from hypothermia oregon was smothered portion co-sleeping successful the tent. They person argued that the babe was inadequately clothed and that Marten got bedewed portion carrying the babe nether her coat.

Marten has told the assemblage Victoria died successful the structure aft a mates of days, aft she fell dormant implicit her.

In effect to Gordon's questions connected this, she said: "I conscionable blacked out. I flopped guardant with my forehead connected the floor. I conjecture that could person happened anywhere."

Gordon asked: "Was it wide from the presumption of the babe that the babe successful narration to yourself had been asphyxiated?"

She replied saying: "That was my presumption due to the fact that of the presumption I woke up in.

"I don't cognize however she died but that was my assumption."

In the weeks pursuing the death, she said the mates went connected sleeping successful the tent, moving astir each fewer days. They carried their dormant daughter's assemblage with them successful a Lidl bag.

Marten faced the prosecutor's cross-examination successful the afternoon. She repeatedly accused Joel Smith KC of being patronising.

Mr Smith asked her astir hiding her baby's assemblage nether immoderate rubbish successful a buying bag, saying: "It was a rather despicable happening to bash to her assemblage wasn't it?"

Marten replied: "If you are going to spell down that way that shows the benignant of idiosyncratic you are."

She past besides aboriginal said: "To beryllium rather honorable your honour, I americium bushed of this full process. I conscionable find him [Smith] abhorrent. I conscionable don't similar the mode helium talks to me."

Towards the extremity of the session, she said: "I americium truthful atrocious I americium not going to continue. I americium astatine breaking point. I recognize that I americium being prosecuted but I americium not going to beryllium present and beryllium spoken to similar that."

The justice warned her that if she stopped giving grounds it mightiness impact however her earlier grounds could beryllium viewed.

The proceedings is acceptable to proceed adjacent Tuesday.