Constance Marten case — I feel the police have some responsibility too

[Siff]

I know Constance Marten and her partner made dangerous and illegal choices, and I’m not excusing that — a baby died and that’s heartbreaking. But I can’t stop thinking about the way the case was handled and whether the police have some responsibility in how things unfolded.

As a mum of four who’s struggled mentally after birth, I keep thinking: if I had just given birth, was vulnerable, and felt like the whole world was hunting me down — would I have thought clearly? Probably not. The media coverage was intense, and the police were everywhere. The pressure must have been overwhelming.

I honestly believe the fear created by the police operation pushed them into making more and more desperate and risky decisions to stay hidden. It wasn’t just a search — it felt like a witch hunt. No safeguarding, no attempt to reach her as a vulnerable mother, just a hard push to capture and punish.

I think that approach had consequences. The police must take some responsibility for creating the kind of fear and pressure that led to this tragedy. The way they went about it likely made things worse — not better — for the baby.

It’s easy to say she was selfish or unstable, but mental health in the postnatal period is fragile. People don’t always think rationally when terrified. I just wish there had been more humanity in how it was all handled.
Anyone else feel the same?

I agree, she is vulnerable, she is a fantasising about life and incapable of taking care of children. SS made the correct decision, it is unfortunate that she got pregnant again, unfortunately forced sterilisation wasn't an option.

I genuinely don't understand how people can possibly try to defend her?

My ex beat me, controlled me and emotionally abused me for 9 years. I put up with it because it was just me being harmed and I had no self esteem.

The moment he kicked my dog, I was done. I finished with him that day. I don't have kids but how can you even imagine endangering your own child just because you're desperate to stay in a relationship? I found my strength to leave because I didn't want my dog to be harmed. Surely if you have any kind of motherly instinct you would do the same (at least!) for a child??

Constance is no victim.

I am using Amber Hurd as an example because she made herself out to be a victim of domestic violence when she was (in fact) a perpetrator of domestic violence. People believed her and saw her as a victim, at least initially, simply because she was a woman. (Just to add I am not using the comparison for any other reason and not equating them in any other way.)

Unless there are mitigating circumstances, the law treats adult women as - well - adults. This is played out in a court of law where adults have to take responsibility for their actions - except in the case of psychosis. Mitigating factors are sometimes taken into consideration, which is right imo. But I don’t think CM is admitting she did anything wrong at all.

She would have had other options before letting her kid freeze to death. Homeless shelters, sofa surfing etc. She could have got warm clothes from a charity shop, she could have used cash etc.

I agree with everything bad that’s been said about these two.

however, I also think the media strategy was wrong because it became a dramatic manhunt which put Victoria at greater risk as it escalated their crazy behaviour.

had they not released the information to the public but only to police forces and other authorities they might have found her in time

Press attendance at family court hearings is being trialled currently. I had a journalist in a hearing recently, though I don't know where/if she published anything about it.

No I think they put everything they could into the manhunt as there was strong evidence that the baby was at serious risk. Which she was. They needed the public to help find them and understand that risk.

This was about desperately trying to protect a newborn baby who was in serious danger.

It wasn't the police that drove them to live in the tent. They'd lived in tents etc in squalid and unsanitary conditions on and off in previous pregnancies too and been told it was not safe for a child.

I do think there was probably a big failure to safeguard mother as a vulnerable adult. But at the stage where she was missing with a newborn, finding the baby safe had to be the first priority. There was no chance they were going to hand themselves in.

The police can't say that she's not in trouble when she was trying to evade authorities and subject to intervention if she had another child.

How would that play out in future when they need vulnerable people to come forward? There would be no trust.

Fundamentally, as a couple, they knew that what they were doing would land them in trouble. Whether they were suffering from mental health disorders or were so determined to be together that the risk of arrest was worth it, the police had to act and had they pursued a softly, softly aproac, they w.ould have been pilloried for that.

I have never once seen or heard anyone be 'doggedly pro adoption' in my life and I've worked in social care for 22 years and as a social worker for 12. There is no pro adoption lobby in the UK - rabid religious zealot anti abortionists in the US are a different story, but that is not what we are talking about here!

And what makes you think that those women are NOT given the support they need? How many 'looks' do you think social workers give? (Clue, it's a lot)

The judge said the couple were besotted with each other and ferociously united.

If only they had just stayed a family of 2 and not involved children in their chaos.

You're arguing a straw man because no fucker anywhere believes adoption is always right regardless of specifics of a case!

You must have been reading sheer fiction if this is what you think, it's littered with major factual mistakes. For instance, the incident when she fell out of the window was during her third pregnancy, not her first. Her second and third babies were not removed at birth. The first child was removed only after the window incident, when Marten had demonstrated repeatedly that she would always put this violent man ahead of her children; it had nothing to do with her family. She certainly wasn't doing everything she could to keep the children, given that she didn't turn up for all her contact sessions.

Read this account of the background and inform yourself properly.

A very interesting post. You’re so right, that many parents have an unconventional lifestyle, and there’s actually nothing wrong with that, as long as the children’s needs and well-being come first and foremost.

The police knew that these people stood a high chance of killing that baby. They had to go public to try to have any chance of saving her life. Sadly they were too late - but they did what they could. If they had not gone public then Victoria might not have died of exposure but she would probably have died of some other form of neglect at a later point. You're missing that these are DANGEROUS people. This wasn't a poor confused post natal woman just trying to look after her baby in bad circumstances. They were trying to find a people smuggler to leave the baby with for 6 months or more so they could flee the country! Please understand, this baby had almost no chance of survival in their care.

So many people on here who've got their "facts" from social media and haven't read a word of the very good reporting on this case.

They were planning to abandon her to a people smuggler for 6 months so they could flee the country. They weren't seeking to keep her safe, only to 'win'

It only they had asked for your advice

Help with what?!

This is done in the UK and has been for years.

He said they had “both fallen” out of the window, so perhaps she wouldn’t testify against him and there wasn’t enough proof to prosecute ?

I wonder how many people would feel sorry for her if she wasn’t an attractive, wealthy aristocrat but was a pudgy lower class woman from a block of inner city council flats?

It’s so ridiculous. Now we have ‘if only the police had shared with other police forces only to find her’ instead of involving the public. Of course they did that, way before the public had any clue! Police numbers are stretched as it is, of course they involve the public. They know what they’re doing. Some folk on here should consider applying.

Absolutely.
I remember once having two initial child protection conferences in the same week with very similar issues - both were alcoholic mums who had got drunk and left their kid/s unsupervised. The single working class mum had minimal social support and her kids went onto CP plans. The wealthy middle class married couple hired a nanny and sent mum to rehab and didn't go on CP plans. I'm not saying those outcomes were wrong but the difference in risk is mitigated by the financial means and social circumstances of the parents. Many middle and upper middle class families came to our attention but they would throw money at the problem and we would back off. Which isn't wrong, it's as it should be, but it just highlights how much better lower income parents might do on the whole if poverty wasn't such a grinding factor in their lives.

Wow, what an amazing insight 🙄