Missing aristocrat's baby girl found dead in plastic bag in shed, court hears
Missing aristocrat Constance Marten's baby was a girl named Victoria, whose tiny body was found in a plastic bag under some nappies in an allotment shed.
Details of the infant and the discovery of her remains were revealed in court today as Marten and her partner Mark Gordon were remanded into custody charged with manslaughter.
The couple, who blew kisses at each other across the courtroom, appeared in front of magistrates after the grim find in an area of woodland in Brighton on Wednesday night following a major two-day search operation.
Along with manslaughter, they faced charges of concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice.
Marten, 35, and Gordon, 48, spoke only to confirm their names, dates of birth and that they were of no fixed abode during a short hearing in front of a packed Crawley Magistrates’ Court.
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Gordon wore two grey tracksuits, one conventionally, the other over his head. Marten also wore a grey tracksuit jumper.
The pair smiled at each other, chatted and blew kisses in the dock
They will both appear at the Old Bailey on Friday, March 31.
Constance Marten has appeared in court (PA)
Mark Gordon has appeared before magistrates (PA)Remanding Marten and Gordon into custody, chairwoman of the bench of magistrates Carol Lintott said: “You are both here today… on charges of manslaughter, concealment of the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice.
“We are sending the case to the crown court sitting at the Old Bailey.
“We are remanding you in custody until that time.”
Gordon leaving court after being remanded in custody (Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)The Metropolitan Police said they believed the baby had been dead for "several weeks" before they were found and a post-mortem examination is set to take place today.
The baby's placenta was earlier found in an abandoned car.
Marten who comes from a wealthy aristocratic family, and Gordon, were arrested on Stanmer Villas in Brighton on Monday.
Police teams looking for the baby (Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)The search in Sussex saw helicopters, sniffer dogs, thermal imaging cameras and drones, as well as hundreds of police officers and search and rescue teams deployed to an area of over 90 square miles to find the infant.
On Thursday, the Met said it was “too early” to provide a specific date of death, with the force’s Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford adding that officers had been unable to determine the baby’s gender.
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He told reporters the case had been referred to the police watchdog.
Officers from London Search and Rescue look through woodland (PA)
He said: “At this stage we have not yet been able to confirm the baby’s gender and post-mortem examination has not yet taken place.
“Despite this, based on our inquiries we’ve carried out so far, we believe sadly the baby may have been dead for some time before they were found.
“It is too early for us to provide a more specific date.
“Because we believe the death occurred during the course of a missing person investigation, we have made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).”
An investigation was originally launched by Greater Manchester Police on January 5 after the couple and their baby disappeared. It extended to Liverpool, Essex and London before focussing on Sussex more recently.
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