Trial of aristocrat Constance Marten and partner Mark Gordon delayed

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon have pleaded not guilty to manslaughter over the death of their newborn

The trial of an aristocrat and her partner accused of the manslaughter of their newborn baby has been delayed.

Constance Marten, 36, and Mark Gordon, 49, are due to stand trial in the New Year over the death of their infant daughter.

They are charged with the manslaughter by gross negligence of the girl, referred to in the charges as Baby A, between 4 January and 27 February.

The pair also face charges of perverting the course of justice by concealing the body, concealing the birth of a child, child cruelty and allowing the death of a child.

They were due to stand trial at London’s Old Bailey on 2 January but at a hearing at the same court on Tuesday, it was pushed back until 15 January.

Police found remains at an allotment in the Hollingbury area of Brighton in March after a major search.

The alleged offences are said to have taken place between 4 January and 27 February.

The child’s remains were found in a plastic bag in a locked shed at an overgrown allotment in the Hollingbury area of Brighton on 1 March. The discovery came after Marten and Gordon were arrested in nearby Stanmer Villas.

An initial post-mortem examination was unable to establish a cause of death.

The pair deny all charges.