Couple arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter

So obviously I continue continuing the extensive searches for the missing baby of Constance Martin and Mark Gordon after they were located in Brighton last night. The pair were arrested in Stamford Villars at around 21.30 hours on Monday the 27th of February after a member of the public saw them in the shop in Hollingbury Place. I can confirm that they were initially arrested on suspicion of child neglect. I can now confirm that they have been further arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and that they remain in custody at police stations in Sussex. The baby was not with them and we have not found the baby at yet. The police helicopter, sniffer dogs, thermal imaging cameras and drones are being used to assist officers on the ground.

We currently have over 200 officers from multiple units across the Metropolitan Police and Sussex Police involved in the search. Throughout this investigation our key priority has been finding the baby and we remain committed to that. There is a significant amount of police search activity in open spaces to the north of Brighton near to where the couple were arrested last night. Before the arrest the last known sighting of the couple was in Newhaven on Wednesday the 8th of January. I am therefore appealing to members of the public between Brighton and Newhaven to report they may have seen some people sleeping. I would also ask people living in these areas to report any suspicious behaviour. Equally, if you are out walking in these areas and you discover something you think is pertinent to the investigation please do not hesitate to contact us.

No matter how insignificant it may seem support from the public is vital and it is the support from the public that has been key to date in this investigation. We have received a large number of phone calls from members of the public during the investigation. I would like to thank everyone who has come forward with information and especially the person who quickly called the police last night after spotting Constance and Mark. Our colleagues from Sussex Police were on scene within minutes to make the arrest. We are very grateful for the support that they are providing and any information that could assist I ask you to ring 999 immediately. And now hand over to my colleague. Thank you.

So we are supporting the Metropolitan Police on this extensive search. As to the vigilance of a member of the public our officers were on scene within minutes of the reporting sighting and made arrests. An immediate search was launched including the National Police Air Service helicopter, drones, dog units and every available officer and staff member from across the force. These searches are ongoing and the public can expect to see an increased police presence in the area as well as a dedicated response to any information from the public. We acknowledge that there may be some disruption to the people living and working in the area and we thank those people for their patience and understanding at this time. I'd like to thank the local community further for all the help they have given us so far. We have an extensive search area and will be in this community for some time.

Some people may want to know what they can do to help. We just ask you to remain vigilant and please report anything of no use to us. If you have any information that will support the search please call 101 and in an emergency please dial 999. We have dedicated call handlers available to talk with you. Thank you. So we're happy to take some questions if anyone would like to start. So the arrests occurred last night, just after 9.

30. We've had significant periods of time in the custody facility with both Constance and Mark. At this time we have not furthered that information which has now led to the position where we feel that the risk is getting so great that we now have to consider the possibility that the baby has come to harm and that will now be subject to as part of that investigation by the officers involved. Have they admitted to that? The investigation has gone, the interview process is continuing and this time it's purely based on the fact of part of the investigation strategy but I will reiterate that we still remain focused on a search and an open land search to find the baby safe and well. They started co-operating at all with earlier on they weren't even revealing the gender of the baby have they given any information at all about that? We've furthered no information in relation to the gender of the baby as part of the post arrest or part of the investigation at the moment. How hopeful are you that the baby is still alive given the time frame work? I wouldn't be drawn on a time frame, I think once we still have hope that the baby can be found safe and well we must retain that hope and as you see the number of officers we have deployed on that open search, however as time progresses, as the weather is closing tonight as it was last night in terms of the coldness and the impact that would have on a baby, clearly the risk is getting higher and we have to be open to the fact that this may not end in the way we would like but we need to remain hopeful and that is why over the late turn today into the night turn you will still see the numbers of officers deployed on that search for the very reason of locating the baby. What do you think has brought them to Brighton and have you got any information which suggests that they have been in touch with any third party at all? No at this time obviously and I think it is key into the previous releases and discussions we have had with yourselves and the media is we have seen from the 5th of January when this incident occurred and started in Manchester that they moved very quickly from Manchester to Liverpool to Essex throughout London before coming to Sussex.

This time we have and did not have as part of all of that investigation process information that was brought us to reasons of location. It will form part of the investigation now obviously to date and will continue and that will be part of our strategy to work out why they came to Sussex and where they have been in that intervening time as well. Before he was arrested it appears that he was with a stick and there has been footage shared online of the pair of them walking around. Can you confirm that? Can you help us out with that? We are looking into that footage. I cannot confirm it right now. I hope to be able to come back later. I have seen the footage and we are looking into that footage.

They both were booked into custody and as part of that process we would have received the appropriate medical assessments about that booking in period. Do you think they were staying? Were they living rough in the allotments? Were they on the downs? Were they at your focus? So working hypothesis still remains that we believe them to be and have been in the open land and open areas. That is why our focus and our search is where it is. We are cognant of the fact that our outbuildings is a vast amount of land I have been with my colleague in around the geography. The location as you know from being here today is vast. We are looking at a corridor between where they were last sighted and here of about 7 miles by 13-mile length in duration. 91 square miles worth to be searched.

We just encourage the public to be vigilant. If you see anything please report it. Our dedicated officers are working their way through that and our focus really remains at this time while there is still some hope of finding this young baby on doing so. Have you found any camping equipment? This time no, we have got no further information from the custody process that is supporting the location or the welfare of the baby. Just going back to when they were arrested. Just going back to the point when they were arrested a couple of things quickly. Can you give us a bit more detail about the member of the public who reported it and how that unfolded? Were they a shop worker? Did they follow them up here a bit? How did that happen? Going back to that footage it appears that Constance Martin may have been wearing a puffer jacket and a dress and Mark Gordon also in a puffer jacket and baggage trousers and a walking stick.

What were they wearing when they were arrested and did he have the stick when they were arrested? What I can say around the arrest is that he was a diligent member of the public who observed them accessing a cash machine and then further entering the shop and they remained vigilant bringing 999 which alerted Sussex Police which saw a response from the initial 999 call to the arrest of about six minutes and that obviously was also the movement of the couple just short of the location where we are right now. Just a follow-on on their condition during the arrest. Is anything in their condition suggesting that they have been living outdoors for a sustained period of time? Yes, I think we are quite happy to confer from the initial assessments that we have which then links into the rationale and reason for the why we are doing open land searches is because upon locating the couple and arresting the couple there is very much significant intelligence information as part of that arrest process that brings us to a hypothesis that they have been spending a significant time outdoors living in the countryside and obviously the vast land that you have here in Sussex. My apologies. We will do one more question and then we will go to Clif. You mentioned earlier that there may be a possibility someone was taking care of the baby on their behalf. Is that still a possibility you are entertaining? We always have to keep our open mind to the investigation.

It is a reason why we did offer the £10,000 reward and that £10,000 reward remains open because what we know is that Constance and Mark did have a substantial amount of cash within this investigation. What we don't know is during the movements have they come across an individual that has taken pity to the cause and through cash that is available to them allowed them to seek refuge in premises or outbuildings and to those individuals we say that is where the reward sits. We have to keep open minded and it is one of the hypotheses that we are working to. I am afraid no more questions. We just want to leave you with the statement that we thank you for your time this afternoon. We thank the public for their support on this and we want to work diligently to see whether we can still find this baby at this time. Thank you very much everyone.

Thank you.

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