Constance Marten and Mark Gordon: Couple to stand trial over baby's death
- Published
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon will stand trial in January 2024 over the alleged manslaughter of a baby girl.
The infant's remains were found in a plastic bag under nappies in a Brighton shed following a 53-day missing persons search for the couple and their child.
The couple appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday. They did not enter pleas and were remanded in custody.
They have also been charged with concealing a child's birth and perverting the course of justice.
Appearing in court on Friday, Ms Marten, 35, wore a white and black patterned blouse, and Gordon, 48, was dressed in a grey sweatshirt.
The pair, who have no fixed address, spoke only to confirm their names and dates of birth.
Judge Richard Marks set a plea and case management hearing for 18 August, with the defendants to appear by video link.
He scheduled 2 January as a provisional trial date. The case is expected to last between four and six weeks.
Neither defendant made an application for bail during Friday's hearing.
As the baby died during a missing persons investigation, the Met referred the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct but the watchdog has decided a review is not required.
Court documents published earlier this month revealed the baby was called Victoria.
Investigators have not publicly established how she died, but believe it may have happened "some time" before the remains were discovered on 1 March.
Hundreds of officers using sniffer dogs, drones and thermal imaging cameras were involved in the search of woodlands in East Sussex.