Constance Marten and Mark Gordon trial: Baby could still be alive 'if I stayed with' burning car, van driver tells jury

A van driver who saw the car of Mark Gordon and Constance Marten on fire told a jury he believes their baby might still be alive if he had stayed with the vehicle.

Ken Hudson - who said he was 'cut up' by what happened - was following a Peugeot 206 the couple were in when it caught fire on the M61 motorway near Bolton. Marten’s passport, 'burner' mobile phones and a placenta wrapped in a towel were found discarded in the car later found abandoned near Junction 4 of the M61 at Farnworth on the hard shoulder, jurors were told.

Mr Hudson, who was travelling with his son, said he asked if the baby – which was to be named Victoria – was okay, before touching her on the head and saying 'God bless' as he left the scene.

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A high-risk missing persons inquiry was then launched and the couple became front-page news, the court was told. The defendants were picked up by a member of the public and taken to a Morrisons store in Bolton, where they arrived just before 8pm, a court heard on Friday.

Mr Hudson told the court he was on his way home from work in Stockport when he realised he could smell burning, and it was coming from the car in front of him. "The smoke became a flame, then I tried to inform the vehicle in front by flashing my lights," he said.

Gordon and Marten pulled over to the hard shoulder, where they both got out of the car and ran, the Old Bailey jury heard. While calling the emergency services, Mr Hudson noticed Gordon open the boot of the car before “frantically” trying to get things out and throw them over the crash barrier, the court heard.

Footage filmed by Mr Hudson showed the car alight with smoke billowing out of it. Mr Hudson said that having