Constance Marten – live: Mark Gordon, missing aristocrat’s partner, is convicted rapist
A man missing with his partner and their newborn baby has been revealed to be a convicted rapist who served 20 years in prison.
Mark Gordon went missing with aristocrat’s daughter Constance Marten and their newborn baby on 5 January, after leaving their broken-down vehicle on the M61 near Bolton.
Gordon, 48, was jailed in the late 1980s in the US after raping and assaulting a woman in her early 20s when he was 14 years-old.
The state of Florida convicted him when he was 16 and he served a 20-year sentence before being deported back to the UK in 2010.
Police are appealing to the public to help find the family, who they said “could be anywhere in the UK”. The baby is believed to have been one to two days old at the time the family disappeared.
Key Points
Mark Gordon spent 20 years in US jail for rape
Couple know how to avoid authorities, say police
17:05 , Liam James
Police investigating the disappearance of Constance Marten, Mark Gordon and their newborn baby said the couple appears to know how to evade authorities, making the search harder.
Officers believe they could be anywhere in the UK and are appealing to the public to come forward with any information that may help find them.
Investigators said it is unusual for hotels to accept cash payments and appealed to staff at hotels or hostels where the couple may stay to come forward.
Newborn hasn’t been seen by doctor in weeks, say police in latest appeal
16:36 , Liam James
Police have stressed that Constance Marten and Mark Gordon’s newborn child has not been seen by a doctor in weeks, as officer issued their latest appeal for the missing family.
Metropolitan Police’s Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, who is leading the investigation, said: “It has now almost been two weeks since Mark and Constance’s car broke down on the M61 near Bolton and they have been on the move all that time with a newborn baby.
“As far as we are aware, neither Constance nor the baby have received medical attention since it was born. Our priority is to ensure the baby, and indeed both Constance and Mark, are safe and well.
“Once again, I appeal directly to you Constance and Mark. Please do the right thing for your baby and get in touch with us so that we know that you are all doing okay.”
DS Basford said the couple were last seen more than one week ago in East Ham in the London Borough of Newham.
Constance Marten and partner have cash to live on, say police
16:13 , Liam James
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon have a substantial amount of cash, allowing them to live off-grid, police have said.
The aristocrat’s daughter, the convicted rapist and their baby had no luggage with them after most of their belongings were destroyed in a car fire, and are using cash to pay for taxis and places to stay.
The couple are understood to have lived an isolated life since meeting in 2016, with then-drama student Ms Marten cutting off ties with family and friends.
Last September, they began moving around the country, renting AirBnBs for brief periods before going missing after abandoning their car on 5 January.
Man missing with aristocrat’s daughter and their newborn is convicted rapist
15:54 , Liam James
The partner of a mother missing with a newborn baby is a convicted rapist who served 20 years in prison (Thomas Kingsley writes).
Mark Gordon and aristocrat’s daughter Constance Marten went missing with their newborn baby on 5 January, when they left their broken-down vehicle on the M61 near Bolton.
The Metropolitan Police has released a fresh appeal in the “high risk” search as officers fear the trio could be “anywhere in the UK”.
Man missing with aristocrat’s daughter and newborn is convicted rapist
