Jailed aristocrat Constance Marten and her lover Mark Gordon are set to cost taxpayers more than £1million in legal aid bills, figures reveal.
The wealthy heiress, 38, who was jailed for 14 years for killing her baby, has been granted legal aid for her trial and family court battle for her older children – despite having a £2.4million trust fund.
In a case which raises questions about the legal aid system, Marten has boasted behind bars that she will soon be able to access her trust fund, spending cash on whatever she wants.
She will also benefit from another fund which will mature when she turns 40.
Yet taxpayers have had to foot the bill for the couple’s Old Bailey trial, retrial, family court proceedings and a forthcoming appeal.
Marten and Gordon, 51, went on the run with their newborn daughter Victoria in 2023 to prevent her from being taken into care, sparking a £1.2million manhunt across the country.
The couple’s four older children had already been removed by social services to protect them from harm before they fled with Victoria. They camped in freezing cold weather, causing their baby to die from hypothermia.
Earlier this month, a judge jailed the pair for 14 years as he blasted their arrogance and ‘lack of thought for anyone’.
Hellbound and Down 