Constance Marten, the jailed aristocrat, has been granted legal aid for her trial and family court battle for her older children – despite having a £2.4million trust fund
An aristocrat has been allowed legal aid for her trial and family court battle for her older children – despite having a £2.4million trust fund.
Constance Marten, 38, even boasted behind bars she will soon be able to access her trust fund, spending cash on whatever she wants. The killer will also benefit from another fund which will mature when she turns 40. The wealthy heiress was jailed for 14 years earlier this month for killing her baby.
Taxpayers have had to foot the bill for the couple’s Old Bailey trial, retrial, family court proceedings and a forthcoming appeal. This is despite the trust funds, and the £18,000 Marten had in her own Metrobank account at the time of her arrest.
She and Gordon, 51, went on the run with their newborn daughter Victoria in 2023 to prevent her from being taken into care, sparking a £1.2million manhunt across the country. The couple’s four older children had already been removed by social services to protect them from harm before they fled with Victoria.
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Marten, who was given help from the prison chaplaincy service to plan Victoria’s funeral, was caged for 14 years after a judge at the Old Bailey blasted her and Gordon’s arrogance and “lack of thought for anyone”.
And figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, show that the couple have already claimed more than £400,000 in legal aid. Lawyers are yet to put in their final court bill, which is expected to exceed £600,000. The couple have already claimed more than £400,000 in legal aid, according to the Daily Mail.
Gordon has already claimed £367,210 in legal aid. This includes more than £250,500 for lawyers to represent him in the first trial, £55,459 for his civil fight for custody of his children and £56,773 for his retrial. Gordon, who has a previous conviction for raping a woman in Florida when he was 14, sacked his barristers halfway through the case.
Marten, an aristocrat, and Gordon were convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence, child cruelty, perverting the course of justice and concealing the birth of a child following the complex case, which lasted two years.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Mark Lucraft revealed mum-of-five Marten had been boasting about her wealth behind bars. He told her: “On finances, I note that you told the probation officer that you believe you will have access to the discretionary trust in the future and that the restrictions on access may fall away when you turn 40. You also mention another separate trust that you will also have access to.’ Boasted of getting access to money.”