Harrowing details of the crimes committed by convicted sex offender Mark Gordon, who is missing with an aristocrat and their newborn baby, have been revealed in court documents obtained by The Independent.
Mark Gordon, the partner of Ms Marten, was jailed in the late 1980s in Florida, US, after raping and assaulting a woman when he was 14 years old. After serving a 20-year sentence, he was deported back to the UK in 2010.
The Independent has obtained 23 pages of confidential US court documents that reveal how the 48-year-old, who was born in Birmingham, UK, carried out his violent attack on his neighbour as a Florida teenager more than three decades ago.
On 29 April 1989, Gordon - armed with a kitchen knife and garden shears - entered a woman’s home via the bathroom window on 29 April. His face was covered by a nylon stocking to conceal his identity as he approached the woman’s bedroom, since he was known by her.
However, before reaching the bedroom, the victim came out of her room to inspect dogs barking, at which point she saw Gordon “lurking” outside of her bedroom door.
The documents say Gordon: “Ordered the victim back into the bedroom and while still armed demanded that the victim undress.”
Gordon then raped the victim, holding her against her will in the property for four and a half hours.
Two young children were sleeping in the room next door at the time of the attack, documents state.
There were a total of six charges against Gordon relating to the 29 April attack: one count of armed kidnapping, four separate counts of armed sexual battery and one count of burglary with a deadly weapon. He was convicted on all charges.
Less than a month later on 21 May 1989, Gordon attempted to rob a home only six doors away from his first victim. The court documents show he entered this home armed with a “flat-headed shovel” before picking up knives in the home to further arm himself.
Court documents state that Gordon encountered the man, one of multiple occupants of the house, lying in bed when he suddenly awakened, “at which time the defendant beat the victim about his head and body” with the shovel.
Police are desperately trying to find Ms Marten, her baby and Gordon after their car burst into flames on the M61 in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on 5 January. They then travelled from Bolton to Liverpool before taking another taxi to Harwich - arriving on Friday, 6 January.
Police said they were also in Colchester before taking a taxi to East Ham station. This was the location of their last confirmed sighting on Saturday 7 January.
They could now be anywhere in the UK and Ms Marten - who comes from a wealthy aristocratic family - and Mr Gordon have used scarves and hoodies to disguise themselves to avoid CCTV.
Investigators say the couple appears to know how to evade authorities – making the search for them harder.
More than 100 officers are involved in the investigation and have more than 223 CCTV hours with assistance from the National Crime Agency.
Detective superintendent Basford, leading the investigation, said: “This is a complex investigation with officers from across the Met continuing to work around the clock to find Constance, Mark and their baby.
“There is nothing to suggest that any of them have come to any sort of intentional harm – we just need to ensure they are okay, especially the baby, and do not require any medical assistance for any underlying issues.”
Anyone who has information on the family’s whereabouts should call the incident room on 020 7175 0785.
Alternatively, information can be reported 100 per cent anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. They never ask for personal details and they do not trace your device.
