Daniel Sandford

6 days ago | yahoo.com | Daniel Sandford

Constance Marten has heavily criticised her wealthy "biological family" in an extraordinary cross-examination carried out by her partner and fellow defendant Mark Gordon during their retrial at the Old Bailey. She accused her family of prejudice, and hiring private detectives to follow her. Gordon, who is not legally trained, was able to cross-examine his partner after submitting his questions to the judge and receiving approval.

6 days ago | bbc.com | Daniel Sandford

They were previously found guilty of concealing Victoria's birth and preventing the course of justice by not reporting her death, but the jury could not come to a verdict on the outstanding charges. A retrial began in March. In court on Thursday and under questioning by Mr Gordon, Ms Marten described how "all hell broke loose" with her family when she returned from Peru pregnant with her first child in 2017. She also said she had become "very fearful" after their car "exploded" in January 2023.

1 week ago | bbc.com | Daniel Sandford

Israeli embassy in London was target of suspected terror plot, BBC understands Daniel SandfordGetty ImagesPolice block the entrance to the Israeli embassy during a protest in March The Israeli embassy in London was the alleged target of five Iranian men arrested on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism, the BBC understands. Police have not yet confirmed that the embassy in Kensington was the suspected target, as first reported by the Times, citing operational reasons.

1 week ago | bbc.com | Daniel Sandford

Mark Gordon to represent himself in court, baby death retrial toldDaniel SandfordJulia QuenzlerThe jury in the retrial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon have been told his barristers have withdrawn from the case. Judge Mark Lucraft KC told the jurors that from now on Gordon was going to represent himself.

1 week ago | bbc.com | Daniel Sandford

At a first trial last year they were found guilty of concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice by not reporting the baby's death. The couple's baby girl was found dead in a shopping bag covered in rubbish, in a shed on a Brighton allotment in 2023. Marten told the court on Friday that while staying in the tent, she had fallen asleep and flopped forward. When she awoke, her forehead was on the ground. "I just woke up and I felt something was wrong," she said.