A Household Cavalry soldier and his wife were among those at the centre of a paedophile ring that held sex parties at a country farmhouse, a court heard.
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© INSNicholas Cordery, inset, owned the farm in Murcott near Malmesbury, Wilts.
Simon Davies and his wife Fiona Parsons-Davies admitted child abuse charges along with the owner of the remote chalet, sheep farmer Nicholas Cordery, 62.

Two other men, Peter Malpas and Anthony Flack, also pleaded guilty to sex offences against children at Reading Crown Court.

The court heard the five had been part of a group that abused girls as young as eight at the building where police found sex toys alongside teddy bears.

Childminder Joanna Gale and rail industry consultant John Connolly were also alleged to have been involved. The pair deny sex charges against children between May 2010 and December 2011.

"This case is about the sexual abuse of children by a number of people who met on the internet," said Christopher Donnellan QC, prosecuting.

"They also arranged to meet up in person - that was done in order to take part in various acts of rape and other sexual offences."

Mr Donnellan said that the paedophile ring was infiltrated by police who were able to intercept the messages sent by gang members.

He told the jury that the "central figures" in the case had been Davies - a soldier living in Windsor, Berks., and Cordery who owned the farm in Murcott near Malmesbury, Wilts.

Gale and Connolly were said to have backed out of a party arranged by the group at the last minute.

Connolly also had 32,000 indecent images and 18 movies on his computer, the court heard.

The trial continues.