Runaway couple remanded into custody after short court appearance

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon, a runaway couple, have appeared in court, accused of manslaughter in the death of their baby.

On Wednesday afternoon, search teams looking for the couple’s missing two-month-old child discovered the remains of a baby in the Brighton neighbourhood of Hollingbury.

The couple was apprehended on Monday night after going missing in January under mysterious circumstances.

Marten, 35, and Gordon, 48, appeared in Crawley magistrates court for their first court appearance since being formally charged on Thursday night.

Police activity in the woods near Brentwood Crescent in Brighton.
The couple was apprehended on Monday night after going missing in January under mysterious circumstances.

They were both dressed in grey prison tracksuits and spoke only to confirm their names, birth dates, and the fact that they had no fixed address.

They are accused of manslaughter and concealing a child’s birth.

They are also accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

On 5 January, their car was found abandoned and on fire in a lay-by on the M61 near Bolton with an afterbirth and a woman’s passport in the name of Constance Marten.

Constance Marten had given birth in or near the car a day or two before it was discovered abandoned, according to a detailed forensic examination of the vehicle.

They were later seen in Liverpool before making their way to Essex and then picked up by CCTV with camping equipment

Police issued several public appeals for assistance in locating the couple, who were occasionally seen on CCTV cameras.

The last confirmed sighting occurred on January 8 in the Sussex port of Newhaven.

The grim details were released in court by prosecutor on the discovery of the baby by police officers, searching a shed on an allotment near to where the couple were arrested. The court heard that the baby was wrapped in plastic bags with a pile placed on top

Magistrates sitting at Crawley, reminded the pair to the Central criminal Court for an appearance later on in