Runaway aristocrat gave birth in her car

A MOTHER from an aristocratic family who disappeared with her rapist boyfriend gave birth to their child in the back of their car, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.

Constance Marten, 35, and Mark Gordon, 48, disappeared two weeks ago after they had apparently concealed her pregnancy for five months.

Their car was discovered on Jan 5 abandoned and on fire on the M61 near Bolton. Shortly afterwards, Ms Marten was seen on CCTV carrying the baby, who was a few days old, as they made their way to Liverpool, Harwich, Colchester and then east London.

Sources connected to the investigation, which has involved three separate police forces, have said that emergency service staff called to the car fire spotted placenta in the back seat.

Greater Manchester Police were called at 6.33pm by motorists who reported seeing the car alight on the hard shoulder.

When emergency workers arrived, they found the front engine alight but inspected the front and rear of the vehicle to ensure no one was inside. The source said it was then the crews saw placenta and other signs of childbirth in the back seat. It is believed the baby was born in the car one or two days earlier.

The car was bought for cash shortly before it was found. Detectives do not believe the couple set the car alight, but it instead burst into flames after suffer- ing a mechanical failure. Ms Marten and Gordon are understood to have lost many of their belongings they had packed for their trip in the fire.

The discovery of the placenta means they went to great lengths to try to hide the birth as well as avoid getting essential medical attention, a move that could have revealed their whereabouts.

Yesterday, it was disclosed how aged 14, Gordon, originally from Birmingham, committed a violent rape of his next-door neighbour in Florida.

Gordon, who had moved to the US with his family in 1989, was jailed for 20 years before being deported back to the UK in 2010, where he would have had to sign on to the sex offenders register.