Father of missing newborn is registered sex offender

The begetter of a newborn babe constabulary privation to hint is simply a registered enactment offender, US constabulary records reveal.

The babe has been missing since their parents' car broke down and caught occurrence connected the M61 adjacent Bolton, connected 5 January.

Since then, Constance "Toots" Marten and Mark Gordon look to person been avoiding police, moving to Liverpool, Harwich, Colchester and London successful speedy succession.

They were past spotted, connected CCTV, adjacent East Ham Tube station, connected 7 January.

Ms Marten, known to her friends arsenic Toots, is from a affluent Dorset family, whose location was utilized arsenic a acceptable for the 1996 movie of Jane Austen's Emma, starring Gwyneth Paltrow.

Gordon, whom she met successful 2016, has been a registered enactment offender successful the UK since 2010, having been convicted successful Florida of a rape helium committed aged 14.

He served immoderate 20 years successful situation successful the United States earlier being deported to Britain.

"Our apical precedence is ensuring the information and wellbeing of the newborn baby," Det Supt Lewis Basford, of the Metropolitan Police, said.

"We person nary grounds to suggest that either Constance oregon the babe person been assessed by aesculapian professionals."

Police bash not adjacent cognize if the kid was calved prematurely oregon went afloat term.

Only a time oregon truthful aged astatine the clip of the car fire, they could person been calved successful the vehicle, officers say.

The mates look to person near their location successful Eltham, south-east London, successful September, erstwhile Ms Marten would person shown the archetypal signs of pregnancy, and person since led a nomadic lifestyle, constabulary say.

After the fire, adjacent Farnworth, astatine 06:30, they walked disconnected the motorway embankment and flagged down a taxi, which took them to Liverpool.

From there, they took different taxi to the Essex larboard of Harwich but determination is nary motion of them trying to committee a ferry.

And connected 7 January, they took a taxi from Harwich to East Ham, spending hundreds of pounds successful fares successful a mates of days.

Taxi drivers study proceeding the babe successful their cabs.

Thought to person mislaid their belongings successful the fire, the mates are travelling utilizing cash.

Ms Marten has inherited wealthiness and officers accidental they are apt to person built up a "considerable slush fund" that could let them to unrecorded disconnected grid for immoderate time.

Whenever they are adjacent CCTV cameras, they look distant oregon screen their faces, constabulary say.

Det Ch Insp Payne said the mates could beryllium anyplace successful the UK.

"We privation to find this kid - that is our overriding aim," helium said.

Ms Marten had a privileged upbringing, attending a backstage school, assemblage and play schoolhouse - but aft gathering Gordon, everything changed.

"At that constituent the affluent, normal, societal aspects of Constance's life, they stop," Det Ch Insp Payne said.

"Then it is conscionable Mark and Constance. They're estranged from household from what we tin understand."