Constance Marten seen leaving court after appearing before magistrates charged with manslaughter of baby
CONSTANCE Marten has been pictured leaving court after being charged with gross negligence manslaughter of a baby.
The runaway aristocrat, 35, and her lover Mark Gordon, 48, appeared in the dock today after being arrested by cops on Monday.
The pair had spent 54 days on the run before being detained in Stanmer Villas, Brighton.
They were both charged yesterday with gross negligence manslaughter after the remains of a baby were found on Wednesday.
The infant, who was today revealed to be called Victoria, was found at the end of the two-month search – with a body discovered in a plastic bag in a locked shed, the court heard.
The couple were also charged with concealing a birth of a child and perverting the course of justice.
Marten blew a kiss at Gordon as they were brought into the dock at Crawley Magistrates’ Court this afternoon, with both wearing grey prison tracksuits.
The pair also touched hands briefly and spoke to each other as they sat on either side of prison guards.
The court today heard how the couple had named their baby Victoria before her tragic death.
Prosecutor Jeremy King told the court a baby found in the hunt for their newborn was discovered in a shed – in a bag under a pile of nappies.
The court heard how the date of the infant’s death was sometime between January 8 and February 27.
When they arrived at court this afternoon, Gordon covered his face.
He then held the jumper over his head for the entirety of the short hearing.
During the hearing the couple spoke only to confirm their names and dates of birth and were remanded in custody.
They are set to reappear on March 31.
Police are yet to confirm the identity of the baby, with a post-mortem still to be carried out.
Marten and Gordon had been on the run for 54 days, after their burning car was found on a Manchester motorway on January 5.
Emergency services raced to the flaming car and found signs that Marten had given birth inside it.
The couple’s disappearance sparked a nationwide hunt, with concerns growing for their newborn baby.
Marten and Gordon were only spotted a handful of times before vanishing without a trace after January 7.
That was until Monday when police got a tip-off from a member of the public and found the pair in Brighton – without their baby.
The remains of a baby were found two days later.
