ARISTOCRAT Constance Marten once began her day with maids drawing the curtains at her palatial family home, but now her mornings start with a rattle from the prison guard at 8am.
Today, we can reveal how the former socialite, who is awaiting sentence for killing her 16-day-old baby daughter, faces a hellish new life at a jail nicknamed the women’s Monster Mansion, where her “delusional” behaviour has already put a target on her back and even seen her advised to become pals with two notorious child killers.
Aristocrat Constance Marten faces a hellish new life at a jail nicknamed the women’s Monster Mansion
AlamyShe is being held at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey[/caption]
PA:Press AssociationThe prison is home to many of Britain’s most infamous female murderers[/caption]
After being found guilty last month of gross negligence manslaughter, Marten, 38, is being held at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, home to many of Britain’s most infamous female murderers.
Among the inmates serving life at the Surrey women’s prison are baby-killer nurse Lucy Letby and Beinash Batool, who murdered her ten-year-old step- daughter Sara Sharif.
A source tells The Sun: “Violence is rife on the block, as is abuse and self-harm.
“Letby and Batool have become friends, and that is partly for their own protection, because child killers are a target for all the women there.
“Marten comes out in the same group as Letby and Batool. She is not yet friendly with them and mostly keeps herself to herself.
Easy ride
“She would be a massive target for others in Bronzefield if she was allowed to mix more freely.
“It might be wise for Marten to try to pal up with Letby and Batool, otherwise her time at Bronzefield could become extremely tough.
“She has had a fairly easy ride so far but that can change at the drop of a hat in a rough prison.”
Life as Prisoner A9624X is a world away from Marten’s upbringing.
She is the daughter of aristocrat Napier Marten, who was a page to the Queen, and the young Constance grew up at the family home, Crichel House in Dorset — one of Britain’s finest stately homes, which was the backdrop to the 1996 movie Emma, starring Gwyneth Paltrow.
She and her partner Mark Gordon, a convicted rapist, had already had four children when in 2023 they hid the body of their fifth child, a girl, in a Lidl supermarket bag on an allotment and went on the run.
They were arrested in Brighton on February 27, 2023 following a nationwide manhunt.
At their first trial, which began in January 2004, they were convicted of perverting justice, concealment of a baby’s birth and child cruelty.
And when their “chaotic” second trial ended last month, a jury found the couple guilty of manslaughter.
The two lengthy hearings had cost taxpayers more than £10million.
Following the trial, sources say Marten “swanned” into privately run Bronzefield jail, where she now will be held in Unit 4, along with other child killers, until her sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey next month.
Among the inmates serving life at the Surrey women’s prison are baby-killer nurse Lucy Letby
APBeinash Batool, who murdered her ten-year-old step-daughter Sara Sharif, also resides there[/caption]
Farah Damji, who describes herself as ‘London’s most dangerous woman’, is another inmate
Another inmate was found to have committed suicide on the unit last Thursday morning, and while Marten is in the prison she has been put under 24-hour observation over fears for her safety, with guards checking her at least every five minutes.
After her conviction for killing her baby, Marten is also a target for attacks from violent fellow prisoners.
Others on the block at the 527-inmate jail are thought to include Sian Hedges, who, along with her partner, killed her 18-month-old son, and Nicola Edgington, who is serving time for murdering a grandmother in the street with a butcher’s knife.
Marten is on a “standard” regime, which means she gets a £15.50-a-week allowance to spend at a canteen, where she can top up her prison food with treats such as Snickers bars and cans of Pepsi. Inmates can also order shampoo and phone credit.
Marten’s behaviour since she arrived has been odd, to say the least. It’s like she doesn’t understand where she is and is deluded about what’s happened.
Source
Her cell has a desk, ensuite toilet and Freeview TV with a built-in DVD player. She does not yet have a job but has access to workshops including sewing, catering and cleaning.
Our source says: “Marten’s behaviour since she arrived has been odd, to say the least.
“It’s like she doesn’t understand where she is and is deluded about what’s happened.
“She swanned in after the trial and seemed to have taken everything really lightly. But something she said, or in her behaviour, set off alarm bells and she was classified as a risk to herself.”
After her trial ended, prison authorities compiled an ACCT document for Marten — meaning Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork — setting out reasons why she will need regular checks, including during the night, when the supervision is done by torchlight shone into her cell.
PAMark Gordon, a convicted rapist, went on the run with Constance[/caption]
SuppliedConstance appeared on the cover of The View, a magazine produced for female prisoners[/caption]
The insider adds: “Prisoners don’t like being on constant watch because it makes it hard to sleep, and most try to come off it.
“But the staff were duty-bound to report their concerns about Constance. The reception team have to ask prisoners if they feel suicidal, and can also raise concerns if they spot behaviour that worries them.
“Marten’s behaviour has been very strange and a bit unpredictable.
“It is like she does not believe she is in jail and should not be here.
“She has been heard saying she thinks she will only be in for a couple of years and seems to think that manslaughter is not that serious.
“But you can get a life sentence for it. A long jail term would be a massive shock to the system for her.
“Other inmates and prison officers think she is deluded and is in for an extremely rude awakening when she gets sentenced.
Privileged existence
“She could also come unstuck with the other women in there if the guards don’t keep a very close eye on her.” Marten’s day in the Category A jail starts with that ignominious wake-up call at 8am.
She is then escorted to a kitchen, where breakfast is a cereal pack plus milk.
In the kitchen, Marten is allowed to mix with only a handful of inmates, including Letby, 35, and Batool, 31, who The Sun recently revealed had become firm friends over the card game Uno.
In 2023 maternity nurse Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill seven more.
Our source says: “Prisoners don’t get to decide who they mix with.
“There is a process when they arrive so they can be placed in the safest place for them. There are limits on who she can safely mix with and Marten is restricted to other women who have hurt children.”
Her current life seems a far cry from the privileged existence she had known in her youth.
After private schooling she went on to study Arabic at Leeds University.
AFPWhile on remand Constance constantly lodged complaints about conditions behind bars[/caption]
AlamyConstance grew up at Crichel House in Dorset — one of Britain’s finest stately homes[/caption]
While there, aged 18, Marten appeared in the society magazine Tatler as its “babe of the month”.
But 20 years later, during her second trial, she appeared on the cover of an altogether different magazine.
The View — produced for female prisoners — is edited by art gallery owner and convicted criminal Farah Damji, who describes herself as “London’s most dangerous woman”.
In the magazine Marten, pictured in a low-cut dress, moaned about the “disgusting” microwaved food that was served to prisoners on trial at the Old Bailey.
She also complained about the two-hour journey to the court from Bronzefield, where she was being held on remand, accompanied by guards “on minimum wages”.
Marten blamed Sodexo, the private firm that runs Bronzefield prison, “for adversely affecting my trial, preventing me from accessing my lawyers and for my mental health, which is in pieces”.
While on remand she constantly lodged complaints about conditions behind bars.
During her retrial, Marten repeatedly claimed to have toothache and refused to attend court to give evidence.
But after special arrangements were made for a dentist to visit, she refused treatment.
Our source adds: “The unit is developing a really grisly reputation because of the characters on it.
“It is now called the female Monster Mansion, after Frankland Prison [in County Durham], which holds people like Ian Huntley, Wayne Couzens and Levi Bellfield, which is the male version.
“And it is an odd environment for someone like Marten to end up on.
“Guards are keeping a close eye on her at the moment but they won’t be able to keep watch on her for ever.”
A spokesman for HMP Bronzefield’s operator Sodexo, says: “We cannot comment on individuals.”
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