When police arrested the partner of fugitive aristocrat Constance Marten and asked where their missing baby was, he was captured on video saying: “What’s the big deal?”
Mark Gordon, 49, demanded food, a jury was told, as he and Marten, 36, had allegedly been living “off-grid” with their newborn daughter Victoria, camping in a tent on the South Downs while on the run from police.
The pair became front-page news in January last year when Greater Manchester Police started a missing persons inquiry after finding a placenta in the couple’s burnt-out car on a motorway near Bolton.
And on Monday 27 February, police caught up with them in the Hollingdean area of Brighton after they were spotted by a member of the public who called 999.
Neither defendant gave any clue about the location or welfare of their baby as they were taken into custody, the jury was told.
Days later, on Wednesday 1 March, baby Victoria’s body was found in a Lidl supermarket “bag for life” covered in rubbish in a disused shed.
Today (Tuesday 6 February), jurors at the Central Criminal Court – better known as the Old Bailey – watched dramatic body-worn video footage of the defendants’ arrests.
Marten refused to answer officers’ questions and called out to her “Daddy Bear”, telling Gordon: “I love you, baby.”
Meanwhile, Gordon was also asked repeatedly where the child was and responded by demanding food and drink.
PC Matthew Colburn told jurors that he offered ginger beer, chicken and crisps from Gordon’s shopping bag.
When Gordon asked for mayonnaise to go with his chicken, the officer replied: “We are not going to make you a sandwich. We need to work out where your child is, mate.”
Asked where missing Victoria was, Gordon said: “What’s the big deal?”
PC Colburn replied: “What’s the big deal? We need to find your child, mate.”
The officer added: “The number one priority is your child. It might not be your priority but it is everyone else’s priority.”
PC Colburn asked if the child was dead and Gordon, who was eating off the ground, replied: “The crisps are really good.”
The officer went on: “I need to know where the baby is because I’m worried if we don’t find your child, your child might die, and that’s the most important thing right here, right now.”
