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Local Councillor speaks out over reports of ‘search’ for missing couple and 4 week-old in Newhaven

This afternoon (10th February) Sussex News spoke to Councillor for Ouse Valley and Ringmer, Sean Macleod regarding confusion over reports yesterday of a Sussex Search and Rescue operation occurring in Denton, Newhaven.

Last night locals spotted a Search and Rescue team and police officers near where missing couple Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were last spotted on the 8th of January.

Credit: Met Police

This case has garnered attention in the press in recent weeks. In part due to the fact Constance Marten comes from a family of aristocrats and her partner Mark Gordon is a convicted sexual offender who served 20 years in an american prison for rape and battery.

These horrific offences were committed when Gordon was just 14 years old.

The investigation started when officers were called to a car fire on the hard-shoulder of the M61, near junction four (Farnworth, Bolton) at 18:33hrs on Thursday, 5 January. However, the occupants were not found at the scene.

It is believed most of their belongings were destroyed in the car fire.

Enquiries revealed that Constance and Mark were the occupants of the car and that Constance had very recently given birth, possibly one or two days before, and had not been assessed by medical professionals.

The local Councillor said in a now deleted social media post last night: “There is a big police presence and search and rescue presence at the top of Denton tonight they are searching for the missing people.

“They will be here for some time please don’t be alarmed nothing else is going on.”

Last night Mr Macleod told the Argus: “I can see them and went out to speak to them and they gave me permission to put that post out to reassure people.

“They told me they were searching for the missing couple and baby”

Today Sussex Police have stated that in fact there was no Sussex Search and Rescue operation underway in the area last night.

Councillor Macleod has told Sussex News: “When I went and spoke to them [the Police], they told me I could put a post on the local page just telling people what they were doing. That they are looking for the missing couple and not to be alarmed and that was it.

“One of the inspectors has [now] said it might be that people might not have spoken to each other properly and he apologised. But for me personally it’s made me out to be, or I feel that they [the Police] have made me out to be a bit of a liar.

“They were definitely there, there no doubt about that. My son couldn’t actually sleep because the torches were going through his bedroom window.

“There are regularly Met officers walking around Newhaven at the moment. We’ve had them go through our doorbell [footage].

“I find their position really odd. I went over to them and had a full-blown conversation with the officers, and they told me what to put on Facebook… I think this A is not talking to B if I’m honest with you.”

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