Missing aristocrat ‘brainwashed’ with partner of Nigerian pastor’s rapist

An aristocratic mother who disappeared with her abusive partner and their newborn baby was “brainwashed” by a charismatic Nigerian preacher, a friend said.

Constance Marten is said to have lived in Nigeria for about six months, working for controversial pastor TB Joshua and becoming one of his “disciples” around the time she went to university.

A friend of the 35-year-old, known to friends as Toots, said: “She was traumatized by the experience.

“She wasn’t the same person when she came back. She used to be wild, but also cheerful, friendly and fun-loving.

“She was darker when she came back and she found things harder. She never told us what really happened.’

Ms. Marten’s partner Mark Gordon, 49, was serving 20 years in the US for rape. The couple and their baby were last seen on CCTV at East Ham station in London, two days after their car caught fire on the M61 near Bolton on January 5.

The mother and child have not received medical attention since birth and Ms Marten’s father Napier, who has royal connections, is worried about her.

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