Latest news with #hypothermia
The Independent
7 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Death of Constance Marten's baby was ‘inevitable', court hears
The death of the baby of wealthy aristocrat Constance Marten and her partner was 'inevitable', a prosecutor has said. Marten, 38, and Mark Gordon, 50, are charged with the manslaughter of their baby daughter Victoria, who died in a tent on the South Downs in early 2023. A high-profile manhunt had been launched after the defendants fled their burning car near Bolton, Greater Manchester, and went off-grid in a bid to avoid their fifth child being taken into care, the Old Bailey has heard. The prosecution had alleged Victoria died from hypothermia or was smothered while co-sleeping in a 'flimsy' tent, despite past warnings. Her body was discovered with rubbish inside a shopping bag in a disused shed near Brighton after the defendants were arrested. On Tuesday, prosecutor Tom Little KC said in his closing speech: 'They exposed their baby to the cold, damp and windy conditions with wholly inadequate clothing inside that tent.' Mr Little said 'in some ways this case, despite how long it has lasted, is very simple and straightforward'. He said the baby would still be alive had they not begun camping in January 2023. 'That is a cold hard fact in this case, what happens thereafter is not accidental, it all follows from their total lack of parenting skills and abilities, total lack of clothing that there was to keep the baby safe and that is why they appear before you in a dock at the Central Criminal Court,' he said. 'This case is about the duty that they owed to the baby which they plainly breached. 'They are responsible for her death, not the police, not the social services and ultimately when you stand back and you consider what she says… about where the baby was sleeping, it was simply too cold, she could not maintain her temperature and death was inevitable.' Last week, jurors were told that Gordon had been convicted of raping a woman in Florida while armed with a knife and hedge clippers in 1989 when he was aged 14. Within a month, he entered another property and carried out another offence involving 'aggravated battery', the court was told. In February 1994, Gordon received a sentence of 40 years' imprisonment, of which he served 22 years. In 2017, Gordon had pleaded guilty to assaulting two police officers who had been called to a maternity ward in Wales after Marten gave birth to one of Victoria's older siblings, jurors have heard. Gordon had to be forcibly restrained during the incident, and a new father had stepped in to help the two female officers before more police arrived to arrest him. 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.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
61-year-old man survives being pinned down by 700-pound boulder for 3 hours in Alaska creek
A 61-year-old Alaska man is expected to make a full recovery after he ended up being pinned down by a 700-pound boulder while lying on his stomach in an Alaska creek, authorities said. The incident occurred last Saturday just before noon when the Seward Fire Department was contacted for a rescue in the Fourth of July Creek to reports of a '61-year-old male pinned by a boulder in the creek,' according to a statement from the Seward Fire Department. MORE: 6 gray whales have died in San Francisco in the past week as authorities scramble for answers 'The patient was found lying in the creek on his stomach with an approximately 700 lb. boulder on top of him with his spouse holding his head out of water,' authorities said. 'The patient was hypothermic and in and out of consciousness.' Officials did not say how the boulder came to be on top of him or why it ended up pinning him down in the creek in the first place. MORE: Tourists at beach house find human remains dating back 200 years Seward Fire and Seward Volunteer Ambulance Corp responded and requested assistance from Bear Creek Volunteer Fire Department, according to the Seward Fire Department, and responded to the scene on foot, by ATV and helicopter. 'One of Bear Creek FD Volunteer's works for Seward Helicopter Tours and heard the call while working and he and a pilot volunteered to respond to the scene and pick up six firefighters via helicopter and transport them to the patient, thus cutting down 45 minutes of travel time,' officials said. 'The patient was in a boulder field and the helicopter could only hover while firefighters had to jump from the helicopter to the ground as the helicopter could not land safely.' MORE: Black bear found sitting on stove inside home after crashing through ceiling Crews used air bags, ropes and 'brute force' to lift the boulder off the patient and pull him to safety, authorities said. 'Once out of the water, the crew re-warmed the patient, and he became more alert, and his vitals improved,' Seward Fire Department said. Officials determined there was not an effective or safe manner to bring the patient down the canyon, so they contacted the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center for assistance and they were able to hoist the man out of the canyon and take him to the ambulance that was waiting nearby. MORE: 3 climbers dead after falling off mountain while rappelling The 61-year-old man was subsequently taken to Seward Providence Hospital and authorities said he is expected to make a full recovery with no life-threatening injuries noted. 'It is no doubt that without the help from Seward Helicopter Tours this incident could have had a much different and potentially fatal outcome,' said the Seward Fire Department. 'It is community members and businesses that we work so well with that make our jobs easier and more productive.' 61-year-old man survives being pinned down by 700-pound boulder for 3 hours in Alaska creek originally appeared on
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Teenager missing after disappearing in Long Beach, Wash. waters
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A teenager is missing after authorities say he disappeared while swimming along the Washington coast Friday evening. According to the United States Coast Guard, officials originally received a report that three people were struggling and yelling for help in the ocean off Long Beach. Oregon Congress members urge White House to approve FEMA request for floods Although EMS crews on jet skis managed to rescue two men, a 15-year-old was still reported missing when the Coast Guard arrived on scene. Officials said the men were taken to a hospital due to possible hypothermia. After dispatching a rescue boat from Cape Disappointment and a helicopter from Astoria, officials said local agencies stopped their search when night fell. The Coast Guard said their crews continued to search the area until 12:30 a.m. Saturday. At that point, the search was suspended. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
23-05-2025
- The Independent
Aristocrat Constance Marten's partner refuses to answer prosecution questions over baby death
The partner of aristocrat Constance Marten has refused to answer the prosecution's questions over the death of their newborn baby. Mark Gordon, 50, insisted he would only respond to queries which are 'relevant' to the case as he told the jury he was 'discontinuing his testimony' on Friday. The father, who is representing himself in court after his barristers withdrew, was due to be cross-examined by prosecutor Tom Little KC after giving evidence in his own defence earlier this week. He went into the witness box at the Old Bailey but before any questions were asked, he declared: "All right, that's it. I am finished with my testimony.' Judge Mark Lucraft KC warned him that jurors could draw inferences from his decision to cut short his evidence. However he insisted he was 'discontinuing his testimony' and returned to the dock. His decision comes after Ms Marten, 38, also refused to complete her cross-examination by the prosecution, having called another prosecutor, Joel Smith KC, 'diabolical' and a 'heartless human being'. The parents deny gross negligence manslaughter of their daughter Victoria and causing or allowing her death while they were on the run amid a high-profile manhunt in January 2023. The prosecution alleges Victoria died from hypothermia or was smothered while co-sleeping in a "flimsy" tent after they took her 'off-grid' on the South Downs in a bid to stop her from being taken into care like their four other children. Victoria's decomposing remains were later found stashed in a rubbish-filled shopping bag in a disused allotment shed. In tearful evidence on Wednesday, Mr Gordon blamed the police for setting off a series of 'calamitous' events culminating in Victoria's death. The father questioned who had given the command to launch a nationwide manhunt for them, telling the jury: 'If that manhunt had not begun, things would not have happened. I had no intention to live in a tent. 'To chase two parents who love their baby. We did not want the baby to come to harm. 'It was the chase that precipitated these events. We were not in the state of mind where a sound decision can be made.' He said he and Ms Marten 'put ourselves out' to ensure the baby's wellbeing and 'no-one could have anticipated' her death. Weeping in the witness box, Mr Gordon had said they had been treated like 'monsters' and dragged through mud like 'scum' over what happened. He also told the jury his mother was a hard-working nurse who was passionate and empathetic and had instilled 'compassion' in him. He had said: 'The idea I was underprivileged was not the case. My mother had two or three houses. She always provided for us. She showed me empathy.' The defendants, of no fixed address, deny the gross negligence manslaughter of their daughter and causing or allowing her death between 4 January and 27 February 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 retrial continues.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Brain surgeon testifies John O'Keefe died from fall on frozen ground in Karen Read trial
John O'Keefe died from falling backwards and hitting his head on frozen ground, according to a Yale-educated brain surgeon who testified Wednesday in the murder trial of Karen Read. Read, 45, is accused of killing her then-boyfriend, the 46-year-old O'Keefe, by hitting him with her 2021 Lexus SUV on Jan. 29, 2022, then leaving him to die on the ground in a blizzard in Canton, Massachusetts, about 20 miles south of Boston. The head trauma and skull fractures he sustained, coupled with hypothermia from the cold, would not have killed him immediately, according to Dr. Aizik Wolf, who testified he treated many similar injuries in his career working in Minneapolis. "The only way he could get this kind of an injury was to fall backwards, hit the back of his head, and then the resulting energy forces going into his brain, into the base of his skull," he told the jury during questioning from special prosecutor Hank Brennan. Karen Read Trial Witness Faces Brutal Cross-examination Over Vehicle Data O'Keefe suffered "a classic blunt-trauma injury," Wolf said. Read On The Fox News App O'Keefe fell backwards and hit his head, Wolf said, and the force of the impact fractured his skull and later resulted in "raccoon eyes," which look like black eyes. "This is what happens when soft tissue hits a solid ground," he testified. Swelling in the victim's brain would have killed him under normal circumstances, usually within 24 to 48 hours, according to Wolf. Some victims have died in as little as one to three. In the January nor'easter, O'Keefe's body temperature also tanked. When paramedics found him at 6 a.m., his temperature was just 80 degrees, below the threshold for what medical professionals call "severe hypothermia." Wolf said he treated many patients with similar injuries early in his career, when he worked in a Minneapolis trauma center. The city can be brutally cold during winter. Many of the wounds were fatal. Some were inflicted on drunken patients who slipped on the ice. Others involved people who fell over after suffering a heart attack. "This testimony from Dr. Wolf sets up the commonwealth's argument for count 2, the involuntary manslaughter charge," said Grace Edwards, a Massachusetts defense attorney who is following the case. "The commonwealth will argue to the jury that if they cannot find that Karen Read caused John O'Keefe's death intentionally, counts 1 and 3, then her driving or sideswipe of him and then leaving him injured was the wanton and reckless act, which contributed to his death, then they should find Karen Read guilty of count 2." Expert Witness In Karen Read Murder Trial Caught With 'Errors' Inflating His Credentials According to Wolf's bio at the Miami Neuroscience Center, he is a world-leading authority in his field and the clinic's director. A short cross-examination by defense attorney Robert Alessi discussed separate injuries that O'Keefe sustained, which were not connected to the head trauma that killed him. State Trooper Points To Possible Weapon In John O'keefe Death – And It's Not Karen Read's Car "I thought Attorney Alessi did a good job redirecting Dr. Wolf from the back of the head to the front of the head and eliciting testimony that those injuries were likely not from a fall," Edwards told Fox News Digital. "This supports the defense theory that John O'Keefe was not hit by a vehicle and suggests it was something else because of the laceration to his face and the injuries to the arm, and the investigation did not pursue any other leads to determine how John O'Keefe sustained those injuries." Wolf started the day on the stand. After his testimony, Christina Hanley of the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab returned to the witness stand. She is an expert on glass and plastic fragments who analyzed the broken cocktail glass found outside 34 Fairview Road and on the back bumper of Read's Lexus SUV, as well as pieces of the broken taillight. Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X Her testimony had been interrupted at the early end of the day on Tuesday. She said Wednesday afternoon that some of the plastic debris recovered from O'Keefe's clothing was "consistent" with the materials used in Read's Lexus but could have come from another source with similar characteristics. During cross-examination, she revealed that none of the broken glass on Read's bumper matched the shattered cocktail glass found in the yard near O'Keefe. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub Defense attorney Alan Jackson had her explain that the only thing any of the bumper glass matched was a glass sample recovered by former Trooper Michael Proctor, who was fired in March after an internal probe into inappropriate text messages he sent during the investigation. Earlier in the trial, the defense played video showing Proctor standing near the rear of the vehicle, out of camera view, while it was at the Canton Police Department headquarters. Proctor, through his family, has maintained that his investigation was in line with the evidence and conducted with integrity. Read could face life in prison if convicted of the top charge, second-degree murder. She is also accused of drunken driving, manslaughter and leaving the scene of a deadly accident. Fox News' Andrew Fone contributed to this article source: Brain surgeon testifies John O'Keefe died from fall on frozen ground in Karen Read trial
