Police search garden in sex abuse case

Police digging up the garden of the West country house

Police have begun digging up the garden of a West country home as part of a major sex abuse inquiry.

The investigation follows a sexual abuse court case in which eight people were sentenced to lengthy jail terms.

Officers have been working at the premises since Monday, their investigations have been concealed by a tent.

The new inquiries follow an allegation made by a person involved in the original inquiry, said a police spokesman.

'Wicked' case

The venue of cannot be named because of an order made by a judge.

During the court case in 1998, eight defendants, who included grandparents and their children, were found guilty of 78 charges.

They included rape, indecent assault and serious sexual assaults.

The charges, which covered a period between 1951 and 1995, involved children aged between three and 15 years old.

Judge William Taylor described what had happened as "wickedness beyond belief".