Aristocrat Constance Marten 'claimed she was Muslim while on the run', court hears

Marten suggested she was using a hoodie as a hijab to a taxi driver
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Aristocrat Constance Marten was turfed out of a taxi while on the run after she claimed to be a Muslim and suggested she was using a hoodie as a hijab, the Old Bailey has heard.

The 36-year-old is accused with partner Mark Gordon, 49, of the manslaughter of their new-born baby daughter Victoria when they went missing for two months from late December 2022.

Taxi driver Abdirisakh Mohamud said he picked the couple up on Commercial Road in central London on January 8, but terminated the ride near Hornsey after conversations with the couple, who were both wearing Covid face masks and hoodies.

In a statement, the driver said Gordon questioned if he was a Muslim and asked: “Are you trustworthy?”

“The questioning started to make me feel uncomfortable”, he said.

“The male asked is there a camera in the car, and I said yes despite the fact there wasn’t.

“I said this because I wanted to make myself feel safe.

Jurors were shown CCTV footage of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon walking into Bolton bus interchange with the baby allegedly underneath Marten’s coat
PA Media

“He then asked are you sharing this conversation with anyone, and I said no, which was true.”

Mr Mohamud said he asked about the couple’s hoods and he said the woman “said she was a Muslim and it was her hijab”.

“I told her it was not a hijab, and she said this was the only thing she had. I thought at the time she was hiding something.”

He said Gordon claimed he was wearing his hood up as he “had a problem with his hair”.

Mr Mohamud said in his statement he told the couple he was “not willing to continue the journey”.

Mark Gordon court case
CCTV footage of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon arriving in Newhaven which was shown in court during their trial
PA

“It was not normal for two people to be dressed like that, and acting like they were, asking about cameras”, he said.

Marten and Gordon paid £20 in cash and got out of the vehicle, before calling for a different taxi to pick them up.

The second driver, Hasan Guzel, said he was paid £470 to drive the couple to New Haven, and they “wanted me to drive off quite quickly”.

He said it was only towards the end of the four-hour-long drive that he realised the woman was cradling a baby.

“I heard a sound like a cat”, he said, adding that he turned around and saw “a baby on her chest”.

He said he thought “why didn’t she tell me about this, it’s nearly four hours we had been travelling”.

The couple have gone on trial accused of manslaughter by gross negligence of their baby daughter
PA Media

The jury was also shown images of items found on the discovery of the couple's burnt-out car on a motorway near Bolton.

They included images of nappies, dummies, and baby clothes found discarded at the roadside after they left the scene.

The baby clothes recovered
Four dummies and two pairs of baby mittens were in a tupperware container

Marten and Gordon, both of no fixed address, are accused of killing baby Victoria during their time on the run through neglect.

Jurors have heard Marten and Gordon believed their baby would be taken from them if they were caught.

The couple went missing in late December 2022, and were arrested on February 27, 2023.

Marten and Gordon deny manslaughter by gross negligence, perverting the course of justice, concealing the birth of a child, child cruelty and causing or allowing the death of a child.

The trial continues.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in