Aristocrat begs runaway daughter who vanished with sex offender to return home
The father of a runaway aristocrat has made a heartbreaking appeal for her to return home.
Constance Marten, 35, has been ‘off grid’ with her newborn baby and partner Mark Gordon, 48, since January 5.
The pair vanished after their car broke down and caught fire on the M61 in Bolton.
Yesterday, it emerged that Gordon, a British citizen, was deported after serving a sentence for raping and beating a woman in her 20s in Florida when he was 14.
Through Constance, the couple have access to a multi-million pound trust fund which could allow them to remain on the run ‘for some time.’
Police say they appear to have lots of physical cash, allowing them to avoid making digital payments that could be tracked.
Napier Marten, a film and music producer, has now urged his daughter to return to safety.
Appealing to his daughter in an audio message provided to the Independent, Mr Marten said: ‘Darling Constance even though we remain estranged at the moment, I stand by, as I have always done and as the family has always done, to do whatever is necessary for your safe return to us.
‘I beseech you to find a way to turn yourself and your wee one in to the police as soon as possible, so you and he or she can be protected. Only then can a process of healing and recovery begin, however long it may take, however difficult it may be.
‘I would like you to understand that the family will do all that is needed for your wellbeing. And I also wish you to understand you are much much loved whatever the circumstances.
‘We are deeply concerned for your and your baby’s welfare.’
Constance grew up on her family’s Crichel House estate in Dorset, which was put on the market for £100million in 2010 before its sale to a US buyer.
Her grandmother was a playmate of Princess Margaret, while her father was a page to Queen Elizabeth.
Constance and Gordon are understood to have lived an isolated life since they met in 2016, with the then-drama student cutting off ties with her wealthy family and friends.
Police are worried for the new-born and say neither Constance nor the baby have received medical attention since the birth.
Mr Marten, 63, also told The Independent he had known about Gordon’s criminal conviction previously, and lived ‘in great concern’ about his daughter’s wellbeing.
He added: ‘The past eight years have been beyond painful for all the family as well as your friends, as they must have been for you. And to see you so vulnerable again is testing in the extreme.
‘I would like to extend my gratitude to the police for all their endeavours in bringing this tragic episode to a swift and safe conclusion and appeal to you, please Constance, find the courage to present yourself to the police as soon as possible.’
The couple were spotted in Colchester on January 6 and 7 before taking a cab to East Ham station in east London, where they were last seen.
Some 200 police are helping with the search but they say the couple appear to know how to evade authorities, such as by hiding their faces on CCTV and keeping their baby covered up.
Investigators said it is unusual for hotels to accept cash payments and appealed to staff at places where the couple may stay to come forward.
Det Supt Lewis Basford said: ‘There is nothing to suggest that any of them have come to any sort of intentional harm – we just need to ensure they are OK, especially the baby, and do not require any medical assistance.’
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