Baby’s body found in plastic bag in shed during search for Constance Marten’s newborn
The body of a baby found in the search for Constance Marten’s newborn was wrapped in a plastic bag inside a shed, as it was revealed the infant had been named Victoria.
Ms Marten and her partner Mark Gordon were remanded in custody on Friday after appearing in court charged with manslaughter, concealing the birth of a baby and perverting the course of justice.
The baby was named Victoria on the court indictment. Scotland Yard confirmed the baby was a girl, and added that a post-mortem examination held on Friday was unable to establish a cause of death and that further tests will take place.
Crawley Magistrates Court heard on Friday that the body of the newborn was discovered at an allotment on the edge of the South Downs on Wednesday, following a huge search operation around Brighton.
The court heard that Ms Marten, 35, and Mr Gordon, 48, had been travelling around the country from Jan 5 after their abandoned car was discovered near Bolton, Lancashire.
The couple were led into the dock by three security guards for the 40-minute hearing,
Mr Marten, who suffers from a leg injury and was seen on CCTV using a stick before his arrest, was able to walk unaided into the dock.
The pair were dressed in grey tracksuits issued to them after their arrest.
At one stage Ms Marten leant across the two security guards sitting between them to touch Mr Gordon’s hand. As the proceedings began he draped the sweatshirt over his head while Ms Marten sat listening to the case being outlined.
Ms Marten, who comes from an aristocratic family, was represented by Lewis Power KC, one of the country’s most renowned lawyers. Mr Gordon was represented by Brighton-based solicitor Teresa Blades.
No bail application was made, but Mr Power told the court that one was likely to be submitted in the near future.
The couple were originally charged with gross negligence manslaughter, but this was changed to manslaughter when they appeared in court.
During the hearing they spoke only to confirm their names, dates of birth and that they were of no fixed address.
The couple were arrested close to where the baby was found and held in custody for questioning, before being charged by the Crown Prosecution Service on Thursday evening.
Police said earlier on Thursday it was “too early” to say when the infant died.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford of the Metropolitan Police said on Thursday: “Based on the enquiries we’ve carried out so far, we believe, sadly, the baby had been dead for several weeks before they were found. It’s too early for us to provide a more specific date.”
