The estranged father of a woman missing with her sex offender partner and their newborn baby has begged her to go to the police.
Constance Marten, Mark Gordon and their child have been missing for 12 days, prompting a police search.
Gordon was jailed in the late 1980s in Florida after raping and assaulting a woman when he was 14. After serving a 20-year sentence he was deported back to the UK in 2010.
Napier Marten, an aristocratic film and music producer with links to the royal family, said in a message to his daughter that she was “much loved” and should find safety.
Police have been searching for the couple since their car broke down and caught fire on the M61 near Farnworth, Bolton, on 5 January. Police believe the baby may have been born in the car, and was less than two days old.
Sending a message to his daughter in an interview with the Independent, Napier Marten, 63, said: “I want you to understand that you are much much loved whatever the circumstances. We are deeply concerned for your and your baby’s welfare.”
Constance Marten was a drama student when she met Gordon in 2016 and led an increasingly isolated life with him, cutting ties with family and friends.
Her father, who said he had known about Gordon’s criminal conviction for some time, said: “The past eight years have been beyond painful for all the family as well as your friends, as they must have been for you. And to see you so vulnerable again is testing in the extreme.”
Police said neither she nor her baby had received medical attention since the birth. The couple are understood to have a substantial amount cash with them, which would allow them to evade the authorities. They have been seen in Essex, Kent and London.
In an appeal to her, Napier Marten said: “Darling Constance, even though we remain estranged at the moment, I stand by, as I have always done and as the family has always done, to do whatever is necessary for your safe return to us.
“I beseech you to find a way to turn yourself and your wee one in to the police as soon as possible, so you and he or she can be protected. Only then can a process of healing and recovery begin, however long it may take, however difficult it may be.
“I would like you to understand that the family will do all that is needed for your wellbeing.”
Constance Marten grew up in the Dorset estate of Crichel House. Her grandmother was a playmate to Princess Margaret and her father was once a page to Queen Elizabeth II.
Napier Marten added: “I would like to extend my gratitude to the police for all their endeavours in bringing this tragic episode to a swift and safe conclusion and appeal to you, please Constance, find the courage to present yourself to the police as soon as possible.”
