Constance Marten and Mark Gordon named baby before tragic infant’s death, court told as couple remanded in custody
CONSTANCE Marten and Mark Gordon named their baby before its tragic death, a court has heard.
The courtroom watched as the couple blew each other a kiss from the dock, before hearing the horror of how the baby was found.
Prosecutor Jeremy King revealed the newborn was discovered in a shed – in a bag under a pile of nappies.
The court also heard how the couple had named the baby – and she was a girl called Victoria.
The date of the infant’s death is said to be sometime between January 8 and February 27.
During the hearing Marten, 35, and Gordon, 48, spoke only to confirm their names and dates of birth and were remanded in custody until March 31.
The pair were both charged yesterday with gross negligence manslaughter after the remains of a baby were found on Wednesday.
They were also charged with concealing a birth of a child and perverting the course of justice.
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, 35, and Gordon, 48, 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.
Tragically the remains of a baby were found two days later.