Hundreds of mourners gathered for a vigil outside St. Mary Magdalen Church in Coldean, East Sussex, to pay tribute to the baby found dead in a Sussex woodland.
The vigil took place near where the newborn’s remains were discovered on Wednesday night. People were seen holding candles and lighting a small fire in honor of the infant.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed that Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon have been charged with gross negligence manslaughter, concealing the birth of a child, and perverting the course of justice. The couple will appear at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Friday morning.
A post-mortem examination on the baby is set to take place on Friday. Aristocrat Marten and Gordon were arrested in Brighton on Monday night after a nationwide police hunt that began when they fled seven weeks ago with their baby.
However, when officers arrested the couple, they were without the newborn. The baby’s gender is still unknown, and a post-mortem has not been carried out yet.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford confirmed that the case has been referred to the police watchdog as they believe the death occurred during the course of a missing person investigation.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is assessing the referral to determine whether further action is required. Officers investigating the case are “devastated” by its outcome, according to Det Supt Basford.
He urged the public to give the investigation team the time and space they need to establish more details about the circumstances of the baby’s tragic death.
»Hundreds hold vigil for baby found dead in Sussex woodland«
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