A British woman from an aristocratic family and her partner were Monday jailed for 14 years each for the manslaughter of their newborn daughter, who died while they were living off-grid in freezing temperatures.

Passing sentence Judge Mark Lucraft told Constance Marten, 38, and Mark Gordon, 51, that the way they treated their baby, Victoria, had been “neglect of the gravest and most serious type”.

The pair sat separately in the glass-fronted dock at London’s Old Bailey central criminal court, but had to be reprimanded by the judge for repeatedly gesturing and passing notes to each other, showing a “complete lack of respect” to the court.

They were arrested after a seven-week police hunt in January and February 2023 during which they spent time living in a tent.

A jury found them guilty

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