Charges authorised following death of baby

Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command have charged two people following the death of a baby.

Constance Marten, 35 (16.05.87), of no fixed address, and Mark Gordon, 48 (08.06.74), of no fixed address, were charged on the evening of Thursday, 2 March, with gross negligence manslaughter.

They were also charged with concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice.

They will appear in custody at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 3 March.

Officers found the body of a baby while searching the Hollingbury area of Brighton on the afternoon of Wednesday, 1 March.

The baby is yet to be formally identified and a post-mortem examination will take place on Friday, 3 March.

The charges have been authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service.

We remind the public and the media that criminal proceedings are active and both Marten and Gordon have the right to a fair trial.

It is extremely important there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.