An aristocrat and her partner are facing an Old Bailey trial over the death of their baby daughter.

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon appeared in court on Friday, facing charges of manslaughter, concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice.

The pair spoke only to confirm their names and dates of birth.

Neither defendant entered a plea and they were remanded in custody ahead of a further hearing on 18 August.

A trial was also set for 2 January 2024, with the case expected to last between four and six weeks.

It comes after the couple’s baby Victoria was found dead in Brighton on 1 March after a two-day search.

Her remains were in a plastic bag in a locked shed at an overgrown allotment in the seaside city in East Sussex.

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Appearing in court, Marten, 35, wore a smart white and black patterned blouse, while Gordon, 48, was dressed in a grey sweatshirt.

There was no application made for bail for the pair, who have no fixed address.

An initial post-mortem examination was unable to establish the cause of the child’s death and tests are understood to be ongoing.

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