Garden dug up in hunt for remains

Officers have been sifting through the soil

Police have begun digging up a garden searching for human remains at the former home of a convicted paedophile in south London.

An investigation began last year when an anonymous letter was sent to police claiming human remains, linked to events 35 years ago, were buried there.

Leslie Ford-Thrussell, 72, lived at the house in Walton Green, Croydon, for 17 years until he was jailed in 2004.

He was not the tenant at the time of the alleged events.

A police spokeswoman confirmed excavations had begun but said she could not estimate how long the operation would take.

Scaffolding and polythene, as high as the house, has been erected around the garden and a gazebo covers the area officers are excavating.

Unsigned letter

Ford-Thrussell is currently serving a 12-year jail term for sex crimes committed against children, aged 13 and under, from 1986 to 2003.

Among the offences were rape, indecent assault, gross indecency with a child and taking and making obscene images.

Last week, officers carried out a search of the garden at the council-owned property on the New Addington estate.

The unsigned letter was sent to former residents of the house who are not connected to the investigation.

The house has been empty since the last tenants moved out about three months ago.

The garden is surrounded by scaffolding and polythene

Police said a number of factors had prevented them from acting on the letter sooner, including the length of time it took to identify the author.

No-one, including Ford-Thrussell or the letter's author, has been interviewed about the investigation.

Detectives have reviewed missing person files from 35 years ago, the time of events mentioned in the letter, he added.

They are also investigating whether Ford-Thrussell had any links with the property before he moved in.