Latest news with #SouthDowns
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Drugs were being sold like 'food at a market' at notorious music festival where university student died after taking MDMA, coroner says
Drugs were being sold like 'food at a market' at a notorious music festival were a university student died after overdosing on MDMA, a coroner has said. Former film student Ben Buckfield, 22, died last August after overdosing on Class A drug, MDMA, while attending the Boomtown festival in South Downs National Park, near Winchester, Hampshire. Coroner Nicholas Walker said it is 'very worrying' that drug dealers would wander through the festival's campsites shouting 'ket, coke, pills' - all of which were on offer to revellers. He also raised concerns about the drug culture at Boomtown after Ben's death made him the fifth person to have died at the annual five-day long event since its inception in 2009. Ben's parents, Georgina and David Buckfield, told the inquest that the Hampshire event is a 'dangerous, enabling environment' for young people and that 'it's only a matter of time before there's another death'. Ben, who had recently graduated from The University of Winchester, died after suffering a seizure as a result of consuming four pills of the Class A drug in what was described as a 'drug bomb'. Delivering his conclusion, Mr Walker told Winchester Coroner's Court: 'It seems to me that the most appropriate conclusion I can offer in this case is one of drug-related death. 'I'm satisfied that the MDMA in his system overwhelmed him and he began to have seizures as it took effect. 'Ben took drugs into the festival, and purchased more drugs inside the festival. I'm satisfied that he died of the MDMA he purchased inside.' Mr Walker referred to evidence he heard from Ben's friends about the 'open and obvious' sale of drugs in the campsite area. He said: 'I do find it particularly worrying evidence that young people are left alone in campsites and festivals, without parents or societal pressures, that there are dealers walking around so regularly and blatantly.' The coroner said this is 'of concern' to him and referred to evidence he heard that dealers would shout about their products 'as if it were food in a market rather than illicit drugs'. Mr Walker added: 'There was therefore a ready supply of drugs for Ben to buy.' Mr Walker said he was satisfied that the medical care provided to Ben by staff onside was 'entirely appropriate', and commented that he is satisfied that the organisers at Boomtown take 'safety seriously'. Grieving mother Mrs Buckfield, from Saffron Walden, Essex, delivered a statement ahead of the coroner's conclusion in which she described her son as a 'glorious, unique human being with a great love of life'. She said he was 'passionate' about movies made by director Martin Scorsese, and was a massive fan of the TV show Game of Thrones. Mrs Buckfield, from Saffron Walden, Essex, said her son was 'well read and passionate about politics and history, with a particular interest in Russian history'. The mother added: 'Ben loved his family and friends and would always stick up for the underdog. He had his whole life ahead of him. 'I don't want his life defined by what happened on that terrible night at Boomtown Festival. I don't want more families and friends going through the same heartbreak we're enduring.' Mrs Buckfield said it is 'shocking' that Ben is the fifth young person to die at the festival. She added: '[If] things don't change at Boomtown, it's only a matter of time before there's another death or life-changing injury. 'We feel in its present state, Boomtown is a dangerous enabling environment for young vulnerable people, and lessons need to be learned. 'Ben was a real human being, not a faceless, invisible ticket holder.' Boomtown is a festival that is known for incorporating rave culture into its production. The coroner's court heard that Ben arrived at the festival on August 8 with a group of friends from school and university. He had been to the festival once before in 2023. He was seen taking cocaine, ketamine and drinking alcohol, but his friends said this was not 'out of the ordinary' at a social event. They said you could hear people advertising the sale of drugs every twenty minutes or so in the tent area of the festival. Ben had brought some drugs into the festival with him and is believed to have bought some more from vendors in the two days prior to his death. On the Saturday evening he arrived in a crowd with his friends and was 'profusely sweating'. He tried to get out of the crowd and then started suffering from seizures, being put into the recovery position by medics. He was later taken to the festival's medical tent, before being taken off to hospital, where he passed away at 3.45am the next day after repeated attempts to save him. His parents, who were at a wedding in Warwickshire, arrived at around 11:30pm and saw him in hospital before his death. His cause of death was later confirmed as Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) toxicity. Addressing the coroner's court, Mr Walker said: 'A number of people here have clearly been utterly devastated by the events of last year. 'I remind myself of the words of his mum, on behalf of the family, that Ben was a glorious young man - funny, intelligent and caring - and a life not defined by that night. 'He was a young man with the world ahead of him, having fun at a festival - a rite of passage for young people everywhere in this country and abroad. 'A kind, passionate, intelligent, interested and interesting young man. He was being young, and as many people often do, made foolish decisions in the course of those few days. 'But, I repeat, and I'm sure, that he will not be defined by that night.' Mr Walker said he will consider issuing a Prevention of Future Deaths report into Ben's death.
Globe and Mail
6 days ago
- Globe and Mail
Explore a historic corner of England from the newly refurbished Alfriston hotel
Once a hub for smugglers and an intersection for pilgrims bound for Chichester Cathedral, and then a destination for the free-thinking, postwar Bloomsbury Group of artists, writers and philosophers, the medieval village of Alfriston has entered a new era. The South Downs village is a few miles inland of England's south coast, an hour's drive from London and 35 minutes from Brighton. Dating back to Saxon times, quaint and historic Alfriston (pronounced all-friston) brims with centuries-old flint and timber-framed buildings housing shops, restaurants and art galleries lining a crooked main street. One block behind sits the 14th century St. Andrew's Church, overlooking the windy Cuckmere River and large green space, which has appealed to visitors. Want to walk across a country? Try the English Coast to Coast trail Reborn with the creation of the South Downs Way trail in 2010, Alfriston has been enjoying a resurgence in popularity among hikers and nature lovers. At the same time, the chalky, rolling hills of the South Downs have built a reputation for producing sparkling wine of such high quality that many sommeliers compare it to the Champagne region in France. At the edge of all this a new hotel sits proudly – the Alfriston – which reopened this spring after a year-long refurbishment under new owners. Husband-and-wife team Hector and Samantha Ross specialize in turning historic buildings into destination hotels, with three other properties dotted around England. The Ross's team spent a year rebuilding the property, which dates back to 1554, installing a spa with sauna, steam room and three treatment rooms and adding seven extra bedrooms – bringing the overall tally up to 38. They knocked down walls, flooding previously gloomy rooms with light and, with a nod to the artistic creativity of Bloomsbury Group, painted murals around a new orangery (which doubles as a breakfast room) and a wooden dresser in the reception area. Expect warm, playful colours with upcycled antiques, richly textured fabrics and boldly printed wallpapers to create individually styled bedrooms that feel like an English country home. There's a purple flowering wisteria wound around the front door, a flagstone floor and timber-beamed bar plus a 70-seat brasserie serving locally sourced fish, meat and drinks – including sparkling wine from Rathfinny and hoppy ales from the nearby Long Man Brewery. Keep an eye on the cabinets in every corridor – they are stocked with complimentary candy and chips. Despite the modern design, the bedrooms lack hooks, hangers and much hanging space at all – not ideal for stays of longer than a night or two. The newly paved heated outdoor pool is both eye-catching and divine but more attention could have been paid to sound insulation in the newer section of the hotel – no one likes to be kept awake by noise. There is almost too much to do. Begin with browsing the village – ensuring you don't miss the stone market cross, which served as the key location for traders in medieval times and allegedly the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's poem A Smuggler's Song. Much Ado Books is the perfect place to while away an hour (with homemade lavender shortbread for those who purchase a book) and stop for lunch at the Star, a pub-cum-luxury hotel that was originally built by monks and thought to date back to 1345. This pocket of Sussex abounds in historical and cultural properties, beginning with the Clergy House, an early 15th century building sitting beside the church and the very first property purchased (for £10) by the National Trust, in 1896. Explore the homes of the Bloomsbury Group in nearby Charleston and Rodmell or treat yourself to a tour of the house and gardens of Firle Place where, in summer, you could catch a game of cricket, too. The world-famous Glyndebourne opera house, with its annual festival, is just a 15-minute drive away. Don't miss the chance for a stroll. As the last stop on the South Downs Way (a week-long hike from Winchester to Eastbourne), Alfriston is awash with magnificent walks along the Cuckmere River, through tiny villages with such delightful names as Litlington and Lillington, and along the chalky cliffs of the Seven Sisters. The hotel can organize paddleboarding and canoe trips from Cuckmere Haven, a beach made famous in the Oscar-nominated film Atonement and just a ten-minute drive away. Finally, taste some of the world's finest sparkling wines on the neighbouring, family-owned Rathfinny Estate, sprawling across the south-facing slopes of the South Downs National Park, land that teems with wildlife from corn buntings and skylarks to the Adonis blue butterfly and large brown hares. The Alfriston is a great base to explore this historic corner of Sussex. Order afternoon tea with delicate sandwiches, crumbling scones and thick, oozing cream to enjoy on the patio overlooking the croquet lawn for a hit of quintessential England. The hotel also makes it easy if you arrive in classic British weather: A selection of Muck Boot wellies is free for guests to borrow for rainy walks. The writer was a guest of hotel. It did not preview or approve the copy prior to publication.
The Independent
15-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
These are the UK areas where a new hosepipe ban is predicted by September
England faces the prospect of widespread drought conditions by September, the Environment Agency has warned. It said up to five additional regions could potentially be declared drought zones in the next few months, leading to more hosepipe bans. This stark forecast comes as the National Drought Group, a coalition of sector leaders and officials, prepares to meet on Tuesday to discuss the escalating situation. Currently, three areas – Cumbria and Lancashire, Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, and Merseyside and Cheshire – are already experiencing drought, with three water companies having already implemented hosepipe bans following one of the UK's driest springs on record. Under the Environment Agency 's "reasonable worst-case scenario," millions more people across the Midlands and central southern regions could face these restrictions this year. The watchdog predicts that if England receives only 80 per cent of its long-term average rainfall alongside warm temperatures in the coming weeks, the total number of areas designated as "drought" status could reach eight by the end of summer. This scenario would see the West Midlands, East Midlands, Thames Wessex, parts of the Solent and South Downs, parts of East Anglia, Lincolnshire, and Northamptonshire also entering drought conditions. To prepare for and tackle the impacts, the Environment Agency said it has been working closely with water companies, which are following their drought plans to ensure supply, as well as the National Farmers' Union and local authorities. In a briefing to reporters on Monday, Richard Thompson, water resources deputy director of the watchdog, said: 'We certainly expect more regions to enter drought status. 'We'll be announcing that at the National Drought group tomorrow. That could extend further, depending under a reasonable worst case scenario. 'Obviously, if we were to get average rainfall or above, it might slow down the rate in which new parts of the country enter official drought status, but we do expect more.' Mr Thompson said the watchdog is planning towards its reasonable worst case scenario but has also 'stress tested' these preparations against some more extreme scenarios where hot and dry conditions could push even more areas into drought, and faster. 'We continue to respond to the current situation, but also to prepare for all eventualities,' he said. It comes after Thames Water became the latest utility to announce a hosepipe ban, which will begin next Tuesday for customers in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, most of Wiltshire and some parts of Berkshire. The water company said the measure will be brought in after the Environment Agency placed its area into the 'prolonged dry weather category'. The Environment Agency said it expects to see other companies follow with their own hosepipe bans as they stick to their drought plans, although this will also be dependent on the rainfall and temperatures in the coming weeks. Scientists said the recent extreme conditions have been made more likely due to human-caused climate change, bringing wide-ranging impacts on farmers and the environment. Stuart Sampson, drought manager at the Environment Agency, said the situation for farmers has been 'deteriorating' with already low levels in irrigation reservoirs prompting concerns for the rest of the summer. Some farmers have been reporting poor crop quality as well as lower yields on livestock, while fears are growing over the impact that conditions could have on winter feed. Anger is growing among farmers in East Anglia, who face an abstraction ban preventing them from irrigating crops due to low river levels, while a hosepipe ban has not been put in place. The Environment Agency said it has carried out fish rescues as the higher temperatures cause fish die-offs, as well as blue-green algae blooms in waterways, which can be harmful to ecosystems, pets and people using the water. Meanwhile, canal and river trusts have reported restrictions and closures, caused by the low levels in reservoirs that supply the networks. 'These are in a worse position than in any other droughts over the past 20 years,' Mr Sampson said. While the Environment Agency is planning for its reasonable worst case scenario, Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office said July is likely to see more changeable weather, with sporadic rainfall and some hot spells. And for the longer-term outlook, Mr Lang said there is 'no strong signal' for it being very dry or extremely wet. 'It could go either way, but the most likely situation is that we will have somewhere near average rainfall for the UK and also for England and Wales as a whole,' he said. Asked how this year compares with the famous drought year of 1976 and the record temperatures of 2022, Mr Sampson said the Environment Agency is not expecting to see the same level of impact. He said this is because the county is better prepared now than in 1976, which was also preceded by a dry winter and previous summer, unlike the weather seen in 2024. Meanwhile, the extreme heat in 2022 brought on a 'flash drought' that saw drought conditions occurring 'really, really quickly', he added. On wildfires, Mr Thompson said the watchdog is aware reports have been increasing and is working closely with local authorities to ensure emergency services are ready to respond. 'We haven't had any widespread reports so far,' he said, but added that the south and east of the country are more likely to see wildfires if more are to happen.
Telegraph
14-07-2025
- Telegraph
Why Constance Marten's children were taken into care
Constance Marten's first four children were put up for adoption after a family court judge ruled that Mark Gordon, her partner, caused her to fall out of a first-floor window while she was pregnant, it can now be revealed. The court intervened amid concern that Marten was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of the convicted rapist and that the children were also at risk. On Monday, the couple were found guilty of killing their baby daughter after going on the run with her and sleeping rough in freezing temperatures in January 2023. Marten, 38, who is from an aristocratic background, gave birth to baby Victoria in secret in December 2022. The couple went off-grid before her birth in a bid to keep her from being put up for adoption. She died while she and her parents were sleeping rough in a freezing-cold tent on the South Downs. The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel is now reviewing the case to find out how 'agencies can better safeguard children in similar circumstances'. The saga followed a ruling from January 2022 when, after years of protracted legal argument, Marten 's four other children were made wards of court and put up for adoption. Her Honour Judge Reardon ruled that 'nothing else will do for these children'. She concluded that if the children remained with their parents, they were likely to suffer significant harm. She also found that: The parents had failed to provide adequate healthcare for the children and had prioritised their own need for privacy and secrecy over their children's health. When Marten was pregnant, Gordon had 'either pushed her out of a first-floor window or caused her to fall during an argument. The mother suffered serious injuries and the father failed to seek medical assistance'. Following the incident, the parents obstructed the local authority's attempts to carry out an investigation. Marten then took the children to Ireland in an effort to evade the officials. The father had a significant criminal history involving serious sexual violence and had not complied with a risk assessment process required by the Offender Management Service, and his propensity to violence posed an ongoing risk of harm to the children. Judge Reardon also criticised the couple for putting their relationship with one another above the welfare of their children, describing how they had repeatedly failed to attend contact sessions arranged for them by social services, leaving the infants 'inconsolable'. She said that while she could not conclude that the father was controlling the mother, she had 'very serious concerns about the nature of the relationship'. Couple fighting 'non-existent opponent' The judge added: 'Irrespective of the power balance between the parents, their relationship is such that both of them will put that relationship before all other considerations. 'They see external agencies and third parties as posing a challenge to their relationship and view all offers of support as hostile. 'The strong impression given by the parents is that of two people who are fiercely united in an unrelenting struggle against a non-existent opponent.' At one stage, Marten suggested she intended to separate from Gordon and would look after the children by herself. But the judge concluded: 'There was no intention on the part of either parent to end their relationship, which continued to be a central and dominant feature in the lives of both of them.' Social services initially became involved in November 2017 when Marten gave birth to her first child in Wales in bizarre circumstances. After turning up to the hospital unannounced and already in labour, Marten lied about her identity, claiming to be a traveller from Leeds by the name of Isabella O'Brien. Speaking with a fake Irish accent, she told nurses she was on the run from her family, who disapproved because she had become pregnant out of wedlock. She introduced Gordon as a friend, insisting he was not the father of the baby. But nursing staff were suspicious and the couple's true identity was revealed when a social worker recognised them from a national hospitals alert issued following an earlier disappearance. Marten had become pregnant while travelling in South America at a time when the Zika virus was prevalent and was supposed to undergo close monitoring. Gordon, who was wanted by police for failing to comply with the requirements of the sex offenders register, became agitated when challenged. When police were called, he assaulted two female officers. He was arrested and, after pleading guilty to the charges at Llanelli magistrates' court, was sentenced to 40 weeks in prison. Meanwhile, social workers who took up the case were horrified to discover Marten was living in a tent next to a Tesco supermarket near the hospital, with no provisions for a newborn baby. She initially told social workers she and Gordon had an 'alternative lifestyle' and said they should not 'judge her'. But then she also suggested her plan had been to pretend to be a destitute traveller in the hope she and Gordon would be offered a council house. An interim supervision order was then put in place. While Gordon was serving his prison sentence in Cardiff, Marten was required to attend a mother and baby unit to ensure she was capable of looking after her child. While it was clear she loved the baby, social workers expressed concern at the way she would regularly fall asleep with the infant and explained to her how dangerous this could be. After several months, she was discharged under the supervision of social services and moved to east London, where she and Gordon rented a property using money from her generous trust fund. In April 2019, Marten gave birth to her second child at home and, effectively, in secret. She failed to register for any antenatal care or medical assistance. Within weeks of giving birth, she was pregnant for a third time. By now, the couple were living in a rundown rented property in east London. Fall left Marten with shattered spleen In November that year, four months into her pregnancy, Marten fell from a bedroom window at their two-storey terraced home in the capital. When paramedics arrived, Gordon initially refused to let them into the house, insisting Marten was fine. But after finally being allowed to examine her, it was clear she was badly hurt. When she underwent a scan at hospital, it was established she had shattered her spleen. Miraculously, the unborn baby was unharmed. But Marten spent eight days in hospital, during which time the couple stuck to a story that she had been trying to adjust a television aerial when she fell. Police who visited the property were immediately suspicious because the only television in the house had a blanket over it and was not being used. Officers became convinced the fall had not been accidental. But Marten refused to co-operate, and the criminal investigation was dropped. Then, against medical advice, Marten discharged herself from hospital and, a few days later, took the children and fled to Ireland. However, news of her fall caused such alarm within Marten's estranged family that her father, Napier, dashed home from Australia and made an emergency application for temporary wardship of her two children. He informed the courts that he was willing to buy a house in Dorset and hire a nanny, and explained his daughter could also live there if she wished, but on the condition that she leave Gordon. Meanwhile, Marten was located in Ireland and in January 2020 returned to the UK, at which point her two children were removed and placed in foster care. In May 2020, the couple's third child was born. Within weeks, she was pregnant for a fourth time, giving birth at home the following May. 'Mummy cancelled again' With the children in foster care, the local authority arranged contact visits. But the couple often failed to attend. The judge described it as 'heartbreaking' after hearing how one of the children had been 'inconsolable' when the couple failed to show up, saying: 'My mummy cancelled again.' Marten later told her criminal trial that she did not attend these meetings because she was concerned the lack of CCTV in the contact centre meant social workers could accuse her of mistreating the children, and she would have no evidence to defend herself. The judge stated: 'I have to conclude that there is something in the parents' lives that is powerful enough to prevent them choosing to spend time with their children, and even perhaps to dampen the emotional impact of recognising the harm that the children have suffered as a result.' After countless legal hearings, which the couple sought to frustrate by sacking lawyers or calling in sick, the patience of the family court, which had been overseeing a protracted legal battle over the future of the children, eventually ran out. In January 2022, Judge Reardon, sitting at East London Family Court, found that it would be in the best long-term interests of the children if they were put up for adoption. Referring to the window incident, she said: 'Even if that was not directly witnessed by the children, there is now substantial research evidence which demonstrates that even very young children are likely to be significantly affected by living in a home where domestic abuse has taken place.' The judge added: 'It is much more likely than not that in the foreseeable future the children will be exposed to serious physical violence between their parents. It is quite possible that they will be injured themselves, and virtually certain that they will suffer long-term psychological harm and impairment in all areas of their development.' The judge ruled that this was a case where ' the advantages of adoption are so significant that they far outweigh the benefits of any other course and nothing else will do for these children'. Just months after the care proceedings were concluded, Marten was pregnant for a fifth time, but this time the couple were determined to keep it from the authorities. They went 'off grid', travelling around the country, staying in short-term holiday lets and Airbnb properties for a few days at a time. Desperate to avoid alerting social services or the police, Gordon made sure he complied with the requirements of the sex offenders' register. But when news of baby Victoria's birth became known in January 2023 – following a car fire in which a placenta and Marten's passport were found – Judge Reardon issued an interim order ruling that when the newborn was found she should also be taken into care 'as the only option which will keep the baby safe'. In the order, the judge noted: 'In the previous proceedings, the mother was offered opportunities which would have enabled her to remain with her older newborn babies in a safe environment. 'Those opportunities were not taken up, essentially because the mother was unwilling or unable to separate herself from the father even temporarily.' Tragically, a few weeks after the judgment was handed down, baby Victoria's body was found in a Lidl bag, hidden in an allotment shed on the outskirts of Brighton. Marten later accused the authorities of being in league with her 'powerful', 'wealthy' and ' well-connected family ' and said her children had been 'stolen by the state'. During her trial, supporters from a group campaigning against forced adoptions staged a protest outside the Old Bailey.
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Constance Marten's crocodile tears: Moment killer aristocrat 'breaks down' as she is told her baby has been found dead is revealed - as she and Mark Gordon are found guilty of newborn Victoria's manslaughter
Newly released footage shows runaway aristocrat Constance Marten breaking down in crocodile tears as she is told by police that her baby is dead. In an extraordinary case which gripped the country, Marten and her partner Mark Gordon went on the run with their daughter in a 'desperately selfish' bid to prevent her being taken into care after their four previous children were removed by social workers, who feared they would come to harm. The baby, Victoria, died in the flimsy freezing tent, Marten, 38, and Gordon, 50, were camping in on the South Downs in the freezing cold. After her death, the couple dumped their daughter in a soiled nappy inside a Lidl bag for life. The new footage shows the moment a police detective breaks the news to Marten that her daughter has been found dead. The officer says 'Constance, I can tell you, the baby's not alive' before then asking: 'Is it your baby?' To which Marten responds 'Yes, it is.' The duo shook their heads in the dock of the Old Bailey as they were found guilty of manslaughter today. Moments after being convicted, Gordon angrily shouted from the dock: 'I'm not surprised by the verdict. It was faulty, it was unlawful. This is not over, it has just begun.' Marten yelled, 'It's a scam', before walking out of the court in fury. It can now be revealed, following their retrial, that the pair have already been convicted at an earlier trial of child cruelty, concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice. Scotland Yard launched a nationwide manhunt, spending more than £1.2million chasing the couple around the country after discovering a placenta in their car when the vehicle was ablaze on a motorway in Greater Manchester on January 5, 2023. More than 100 officers pursued the couple as they fled in taxis, travelling hundreds of miles across the country from Bolton to Liverpool, then to Harwich in Essex, and on to East London before finally resorting to a freezing tent. Five police forces joined the hunt, devoting 1,000 officer hours at a cost of £500,000 just to find the child's body after the pair refused to cooperate when they were arrested near Brighton after nearly two months on the run. Police were shocked to discover the millionaire aristocrat had hidden her child's body beneath an empty beer can and discarded sandwich packaging in a disused shed. Following two trials, costing taxpayers an estimated £1.6million, it can now be revealed that: Gordon is a 'sociopathic' rapist whose sadistic crimes were compared to the American serial killer Ted Bundy. A national safeguarding panel is now looking at the landmark case as police have called for new laws to protect unborn children; The couple were granted legal aid for their defence, hiring 19 lawyers to defend them at an estimated cost of £600,000 - yet she is a trust fund heiress worth £2.4million; Gordon attempted to avoid trial, claiming he was more notorious than Wayne Couzens, the Scotland Yard police firearms officer who murdered Sarah Everard. Marten's father was a page to the late Queen and her grandmother was a playmate of Princess Margaret, but her lover's background could not be more different. Experts have described Gordon, 50, as a sociopathic sex offender considered so dangerous that experts compared his sadistic crimes to the American serial killer Ted Bundy or Australian-American serial killer Christopher Wilder. Hooked on violent pornography, Gordon was just 14 when he raped a woman at knifepoint in 1989 after breaking into her home armed with knives and hedge clippers, telling her: 'Don't scream or I'll kill your children.' Over the next four and half hours, the teenage rapist tormented his victim, telling her she was going to die as he ran the blade down her body, holding it to her throat and heart saying: 'All I have to do is push and you are dead.' The mother recalled: 'I had no hope. I was told to say goodbye to my children because this was the day I was going to die. 'When I thought he might be going to leave, he said 'No, your nightmare isn't over yet'.' Franklin Nooe (corr), treatment director of a sex assault clinic who counselled Gordon's first victim, described Gordon as a sociopath in the same category as Ted Bundy: 'That's the 5 per cent of the rapists, that's your Ted Bundys, your Wilders that obviously enjoy it. It is something that actually fuels them. 'They are a progressive kind of rapist that would lead to, I would expect, to go from just raping, to raping and murdering'. Within three weeks of carrying out the attack, Gordon broke into the home of a second woman armed with a set of knives. But as he crept into her bedroom, placing two seven-inch knives outside the door, Gordon was startled to find her husband home. Gordon battered him around the head with a shovel before fleeing in panic. Gordon was jailed for 40 years, serving half of that in the US before being deported back to the UK. When he was sentenced for both attacks, the rape victim pleaded with a judge to never let him free saying: 'I ask you to make sure that this man does not have the opportunity to destroy any more lives. 'Someone who is capable of doing this, a cruel calculated act at this age is not going to get better. He is only going to do more harm in society.' The rape victim, who cannot be named, welcomed Gordon's conviction today, telling the Mail: 'I'm very happy. This, once again, proves that our justice system works. They are too dangerous to be free to hurt anyone else. 'Hopefully, this time, they will never get that chance again. Unfortunately, Victoria had to pay the price.' Gordon hid his appalling criminal history from Marten when they met in 2016, keeping it secret until after they had a spiritual marriage in Peru and had their first child together. It wasn't until he assaulted two police officers in hospital after Marten gave birth under a false name that she learnt he was a violent rapist considered at 'high risk' of reoffending. Gordon later attacked Marten when she was pregnant with their third child, throwing her out of their flat window and sending her plunging 18ft to the ground, hitting a car on the way. As she lay screaming in agony with a shattered spleen and internal bleeding, putting her life and her unborn child at risk, Gordon didn't call an ambulance and attempted to delay paramedics alerted by concerned neighbours. Marten would spend the next eight days in hospital recovering from surgery, but Gordon demanded she should be discharged despite doctors warning this would put her life at risk. The domestic abuse was the catalyst for a family court judge to rule their four older children should be taken into care for their own protection from a 'violent sex offender' whose actions had 'put her life and the life of their unborn child at serious risk'. Two years before the death of Victoria, District Judge Madeleine Reardon warned: 'It is much more likely than not that in the foreseeable future the children will be exposed to serious physical violence between their parents. 'It is quite possible that they will be injured themselves.' When police discovered a placenta in Marten and Gordon's car, revealing the existence of their fifth child, authorities were so concerned for baby Victoria's welfare that an emergency care order was made on January 20 so she could immediately be taken from her parents. Tragically, police did not find her in time to save the infant, who died of hypothermia, exposure or co-sleeping, experts believe. Afterwards Gordon tried to avoid prosecution for his daughter's death, claiming he faced a higher risk of jury prejudice than Couzens. Neena Crinnion, defending, argued Gordon could not have a fair trial as he had been portrayed as a 'black rapist' on the run with a 'white aristocrat', adding: 'Ms Marten was described as beautiful, refined, educated, an aristocrat who had links to the Royal Family, whereas Mr Gordon is repeatedly referred to as 'the rapist'.' In a scandal which raises questions about the legal aid system, Marten was granted taxpayer funding for her defence despite her huge wealth. She attempted to claim a raft of benefits, including child benefits for her elder children after they had already been taken into care, and demanded to be given a council house after turning down a home in London paid for by her trust fund. During their prosecution, the couple conspired to delay, lie and obfuscate repeatedly in a bid to sabotage the case, shocking one of Britain's most senior judges, who declared that they behaved worse than teenage murderers. The pair spun a web of conspiracy, claiming social workers were working with Marten's aristocratic family to abduct their children and private investigators were bombing cars and spying on their every move, while police hunted them like 'terrorists'. But Prosecutor Tom Little KC dismissed Marten's 'grandstanding on a Premier League level', saying 'lies fell from her mouth like confetti in the wind'. The unprecedented case is now the subject of a national child safeguarding review to consider whether new laws should be brought in to protect unborn children. Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, who led the case, believes that lives could be saved if officers had the power to bring in protection and family contact orders before a baby is born to parents considered at high risk of harming their children. He said: 'At the moment police are powerless to protect that child until a baby draws their first breath. 'If there was a change in the law, we could put contact orders in place to monitor the pregnancy and protection orders could be in place before that child is born so they could immediately be taken into care. 'If you look at cases like Baby P, this could save lives.' Following the jury's verdict after 14 hours of deliberation, the officer said: 'Today, the justice we have long fought for has been finally been served for baby Victoria. 'The selfish actions of Mark Gordon and Constance Marten resulted in the death of a newborn baby who should have had the rest of her life ahead of her. She should have recently celebrated her second birthday, but this was snatched away by the very people who should've protected and cared for her. 'This was an incredibly challenging investigation for the hundreds of officers who were involved in the search. Our main focus throughout the search was finding Victoria alive and we all remain devastated by her death. 'As anyone who's followed this trial will know, it was an incredibly complex investigation. Mark Gordon and Constance Marten deliberately avoided the authorities and continued to shield Victoria from us even after their arrest. This meant even the most experienced child pathologists in the country were unable to establish the cause of Victoria's death. 'We know today's verdict won't bring Victoria back, but I am pleased our painstaking investigation has resulted in those who caused her death being brought to justice. 'Victoria's death was completely avoidable. The couple had plenty of opportunities to do the right thing and come forward to ask for help. 'They knew throughout that officers were looking for them and baby Victoria. They also ignored medical professionals who directly reached out to them to say their actions were putting baby Victoria at risk. 'In court, Marten said they moved around a lot to avoid 'one single authority' having jurisdiction over their daughter. Marten stated that her children had been 'stolen by the state,' referring to the social care system after her previous four children were removed from her by the family court. 'I would like to personally thank the media for the positive support you showed throughout the search, the many members of the public who reported sightings and Sussex Police for the support provided in the arrests and subsequent search for Victoria. This support was incredibly important to the investigation throughout. 'Speaking personally as a father, I find it hard to comprehend how, instead of providing the warmth and care their child needed, Mark Gordon and Constance Marten chose to live outside during freezing conditions to avoid the authorities, causing the death of baby Victoria. 'Throughout the trial, both defendants made repeated attempts to disrupt and frustrate the judicial process, employing tactics designed to undermine proceedings and shift focus away from the serious charges they faced. Their behaviour ranged from non-cooperation and persistent interruptions aimed at delaying progress. 'Despite these challenges, the professionalism and resilience of the legal advocates, the judge, and court staff ensured that the integrity of the trial was maintained throughout. Through careful case management, clear judicial direction, and a steadfast commitment to due process, the court was able to navigate these obstructions effectively. As a result, the jury remained focused on the evidence and, unimpeded by the defendants' attempts to derail the proceedings, reached today's just and rightful guilty verdict.' The couple will be sentenced on September 15.
